Rantings of Ray

got to.,.

2010-02-28T16:07:00.001+08:00

so we draw close our lunar new year celebration.. these 15 days, your truly has..
got to see my parents and saw that i need to pay more attention to them..
got to see my friends and saw that they lead lives with struggles and tribulations they want to leave behind for that few days..
got to see my hometown and found it to be a bit distant..
got to see and yet not understand..

got to feel nostalgia, some good and some bad..
got to feel sad, the celebration has concluded..
got to feel lost, the journey ahead unclear..
got to feel hope, that this year might be better than last..

got to be brave, and push ahead this year..
got to be happy, that everyone is healthy..
got to be grateful, that there are things to worry..
got to be wishful, that 4D, Toto all come to me.. happy chap goh meh..

may the last 15 days leave you with good feelings and energy to motivate you to succeed this year..

it fits..

2009-10-31T10:53:00.004+08:00

it has been quite a good feeling, to actually have clothes that fit me.. all these while, i have been buying clothes that does not fit me.. not because i buy one size too small or anything.. but the smallest size, S often is still too big for me..

and then there is JAPAN.. my size is consider aplenty here.. i can find that elusive size.. XS for men.. hehe..

ok.. i am petite.. but where it matters, it is not petite.. hahahahaha..

anyway, back to the clothes.. as it is autumn and entering winter, most of the clothing are catered for the upcoming cooler temperatures.. but still there are some stuff for yours truly to get..

today is halloween.. but japan does have some form of celebration for this day.. anyway, there is a parade going on at kawasaki which i will go and check out later..

today is a hot day in tokyo.. 22 degrees is considered warmish.. people would love this sort of weather, but it is a tad warm for me.. oh well..

被放飛機。。

2009-10-24T15:37:00.003+08:00

其實，也沒有啦。。小頌知己有點烏龍。。沒查清楚，不知道今天那辦機被取消了。。就要等下一辦咯。。

終於等到放假咯。。現在也沒能放鬆。。可能要等到目的地的時候，才會開始 relax。。

等待到達那計畫好久的地方，被拖延有覺得不爽。。沒辦法，就忍耐一下下。。

就。。期待快到。。

明白。。

2009-07-11T22:03:00.001+08:00

國外朋友：忽然有個衝動想回國。。
小頌：現在機票都在打折，可以回國了。。哈哈。。
國外朋友：可是，我兒子的護照還沒辦呢。。要一個月。。
小頌：哦!! 原來如此。。那就，ＧＯＯＤＬＵＣ咯。。

以上是那天跟朋友聊到的。。也對啦，不能那麼的隨性。。自己終始沒有想到別人有很不一樣的生活節奏，需求。。

有些時候，都只想跟他們報導有很划算的機票。。並沒有要對方作什麼，是個開頭話題吧。。可是就被他們打搶。。

有點敏感，不太習慣被這樣的答复。。

好啦。。不講那個。。前一陣子有上網查吉隆坡～東京來回機票是ＲＭ１４ＸＸ，可昨天在查一次，只有ＲＭ１３ＸＸ。。是同一個時間出發喔。。所以，機票又會在打折。。如果有想出門的朋友，可以撿到便宜。。

有點想出國走走。。透透氣跟看看外面的世界。。最近為工作有點煩，也很累。。所以有知道那些在加班的朋友很辛苦。。

還有，Ｈ１Ｎ１也沒那麼可怕。。可以克服這恐懼的話，出門不成問題。。

現在只需簽中那多多。。或萬字。。

過半。。

2009-07-01T22:46:00.000+08:00

今天是 0701，是 2009 年的第182 天。。

0702 是第183 天。。也就是講，也過半年了。。剩下182天，就迎接2010年。。好快喔。。

近半年來，很多事在改變。。正在調整當中。。換了工作，在換掉上司。。工作量增加了。。不知道在這部分的表現有沒有過半？？

同樣，在人際關係上，不知道自己那孤僻的個性會讓人緣指數過半嗎？？

每天必自己做得那些運動，會讓健康指數過半嗎？？

還有每個月的理財跟花費，有讓自己的財物健康指數過半嗎？？

做為人子，兄長，朋友，等。。有沒有敬到小頌應該做得。。有過半嗎？？

下半年，要把那其餘的一半給追來。。

熱いですね。。

2009-06-10T23:10:00.000+08:00

最近天氣好炎熱。。氣象局說會熱到八月九月。。溫度在35°C 上下。。

其實，在辦公室還好，可是，一回到家，哇靠！！熱的好凶。。啥都是熱的。。沖涼水也不需要先開熱水機把它熱一熱。。就是那麼熱。。還是開到最冷的那部份。。夭壽！！好了，沖完，衣服也是溫的。。出門去買個便當，就會一直流汗到全身都溼掉。。那個，車，馬路，等等都還是熱的。。

好懷念冬天。。開冷氣機？？不一樣。。冬天的冷跟空調的冷差很多呢。。

冬天的冷很舒服。。（冷也有分舒服的程度阿？？）對。。冬天的冷，是啥都冷掉。。穿的暖暖的，避寒。。也不覺得頭痛或什麼的。。可是，如果開冷氣機的話，太冷會頭痛，流鼻涕。。穿的多，又會覺得太誇張。。還有，雖然房間的溫度降下，但東西還是熱熱的。。即便房間里的溫度很舒服了，房間外的溫差，會造成身體的負擔。。要迅速調試不一樣的溫差。。不好受。。

為什麼天氣會這麼熱？？對啦，每年都在這幾個月，溫度會升高。。可是近年來，那個（°C）越來越高。。地球暖化造成炎熱的天氣。。

可能要很很很很。。。關心咱們的地球咯。。少開冷氣機。。那個，比較難！！實在太熱了。。連裸睡也是在冒汗！！

有啥辦法可以拯救地球呢？？

what money can't buy..

2009-06-09T09:24:00.000+08:00

"Money doesn't buy you happiness. But it buys you a big enough yacht to sail right up to it." Johnny Depp

p.s. Apple Inc. upgraded its Macbook line up.. I need to be on that yacht..

開工咯。。

2009-06-08T21:02:00.000+08:00

一個星期的休假結束了。。回到工作崗位上。。

休假期間，也沒做很多。。可是，看到跟體會到不一樣的東西。。

一些心得。。原來。。

01．你休假並不代表其他人也休假。。
02．你休假，很多人也同樣跟你一起休假。。（炒麵大叔，你也休假阿。。去了兩次，你都沒開。。好餓喔。。）

03．想停慢下來腳步，去看看那每天都沒時間去欣賞的風景~~沒做到。。可能就是那“反正以後都還有時間跟機會，那景色也不會跑掉”的心態把。。
04．髮型師也會跟你講“朋克風格頭不適合上班族”，最後，剪了類似“黃宗澤”的髮型。。
05．休假不看新聞，地球照樣轉。。事故照樣發生。。
06．中午的電視好無聊。。沒太多好看的。。都是在重複。。
07．去購物廣場也很無聊，如果沒想買什麼的。。也要跟那些放假的學生擠在一起。。也過了學生時期，就不太想跟他們擠在一起。。（好啦。 。被講還長得像學生，有點暗爽。 。）

08．天氣熱的時候，大家都一起熱，一起流汗。。想逃避，也逃不了。。還好有冷氣機。。
09．人潮很低。。不旺。。
10．科幻電影，只有科幻迷才會去看。。也是男學生的喜好吧。。戀愛男女大致不太會去看。。但不是每個類型的科幻電影,每個科幻迷都會去看。。

11. 下午2點到麥當勞，也是大排長龍。。那個套餐真的很好賣。

12．休假並不代表不想錢的煩惱。。

好了，開工咯。。

就，等下一個假期。。

就宅度假。。

2009-06-01T23:48:00.000+08:00

6月1日， 2日是公休，所以就沒想要做個什麼的。。想到那人山車海（是的，小頌知道不是車海，是人海。。可一出門就會跟很多人在擠，那麼多車在塞。。就把它們歸為人山車海咯）就覺得宅在家里也是一種休假。。

今天的日記。。

10點30分起床。。好久沒睡到那麼遲。。 actually，那個鬧鐘其實在6點有叫過。。只是把它按掉，又continue睡到飽。。

想到如果出門去kopitiam 吃breakfast或lunch的話，又要跟人擠。。就決定自各炒個indomee來吃。。是把indomee煮熟跟加料後，在炒過。。加雞肉，香腸，雞蛋跟青菜。。好好吃喔。。這是小頌在大學時期最長做的料理。。簡單但好吃。。

之後，也沒啥事做。。就看電視。。那個，“國民大會” 中。。原來，是叫 “疼惜老婆”。。不是怕老婆。。還有，人可以為對方的愛好或喜好去改變自己。。很恐怖呢。。一個女人因為交往不一樣的男人，去動手術。。割雙眼皮跟做鼻子有六次那麼多。。聽起來就覺得很痛。。

熱到爆。。氣象局還說要熱到九月。。開空調想要睡個午覺也還是覺得太熱。。 paiseh，其實是被電話吵醒。。

就到dinner咯。。做個炸豬排，加蛋，做三明治來吃。。也超好吃。。（不害臊。。自己誇自己。。）

這樣，宅男就過了一個沒有什麼高底的假期。。其實沒趕這個的，忙那個的。。也滿幸福的。。

ps.. 敗犬女王，快點給我download完。。很想看結局。。千萬不要變成藍色生死孌之秋天的童話。。

OMGs 2.. the funny and the completely absurd..

2009-05-26T11:45:00.000+08:00

luckily the "newspapers" not only report the gloom and doom, it actually contains some lighter "news"..

1. Break-In to sleep au naturale..

Some guy broke into a house in KL and then proceeded to rob the house while the owners were sound asleep.. and after the tiring deed of robbing, he decided to sleep it off, by proceeding to strip and sleep naked.. NOTE: 1... night time is for sleeping, so you are some burglar.. 2... sleeping nude?? at the crime scene?? were you trying to leave as much evidence as possible to enable your eventual incarceration?? Try explaining that to the judge..

2. Adult Movies Disk sales down..

Durr... because of ready-availability on the internet?? maybe so, but still no matter what the level of acceptance of physically purchasing such materials is, one (actually anywhere in the world) would probably prefer if one's "extra-curricular" activities remain as private as possible.. so is this a big shocker? ?

3. Break-In 2.. in his undies..

What is it with breaking-in and nudity.. or semi-nudity?? some guy broke into a convenience store in Kuching in only his undies.. the action was caught on CCTV.. geez.. is this the new IN-thing.. to rob in the nude(ish) state?? does being in the nude afford some stealth protection to the would-be robbers from the eyes of justice?? or maybe so.. it is still a taboo subject in this neck of the woods when it comes to nudity..

4. Over-overdrafted.. let's escape..

A couple in New Zealand was mistakenly given a bank overdraft of US10 million instead of US$100,000.. they took out US$3.8 million and reported fled with the money to Hong Kong.. WOW.. US$10 million has seven 0's compared to five 0's.. that's two 0's too many.. and you wonder why we lost trust in the financial system..

well.. that's all for the time being.. hope you have a happier day after reading this.. incidentally, the world's oldest blogger of 97 passed away.. a granny from spain..

習慣是很可怕的事。。

2009-05-24T00:30:00.000+08:00

太習慣某些事，某些食物，某些地方，某些味道，某些人，某些習慣。。真的很可怕。。

好像，改了個什麼的，就渾身不對勁的。。不自在的。。不舒服。。

習慣吃的炒麵，變味了。。
習慣暍的飲料，沒在賣了。。
習慣去的攤子，沒擺了。。
習慣看的電視劇，沒在播了。。
習慣用的肥皂，改版了。。
習慣讀的雜誌, 倒閉了。。
習慣的髮型師，不做了。。
習慣的公園，被改建了。。
習慣的電腦，被淘汰了。。
習慣穿的鞋, 壞掉了。。
習慣的東西，都不一樣了。。

還好。。習慣寫一些有的沒的。。沒有變。。

life..

2009-05-17T17:20:00.000+08:00

"Life is short.. so get out there, and GET YOURS!!!...
Jack Donaughy, 30 Rock..

i hate.. static electricity..

2009-05-13T11:10:00.000+08:00

just a fact.. i hate to be zapped by static electricity most times when i exit my own car, and sometimes from other people's car.. ouch!!

let's McLunch..

2009-05-11T11:59:00.000+08:00

with the current slowdown of the global economy, what better way to grease the wheels of economy than to offer at a lower price the same parcel of goods - same quantity, same enjoyment.. but at a reduced rate.. and the result??

THE McValue Lunch sets from McDonald's.. actually the offer has been on for a while with limited meal set selections, but recently it was refreshed with the inclusion of the other "STAR" meal sets, but not at the same budget price of RM5.95 (RM6.25 after tax).. instead, prices start from RM5.95 per meal set..

what's attractive or blog-able about this? apart from the savings and the never-ending queue (from 12.00p.m. to 3.00 p.m.).. Mc-D is giving away free iPhone 3Gs to the most popular blogs on the topic.. so i guess i'm here doing a shameless plug of the meals in the hope of winning an iPhone 3G..

but the economics and strategy behind this campaign is quite effective.. instead of charging full price, a lowered margin actually creates more demand and thus effectively selling more.. their profits won't suffer and they are selling a lot more.. before, people would buy a-la-carte.. but as its name McValue suggest, it is quite worthwhile to get the meal set..

i do have a little bone to pick.. the staff at some outlets are ill-equipped to handle the big crowds.. and sometimes, the food goes cold..

but nevertheless.. YUMMY..

p/s look up the info for the competition HERE.

a wish.. of health and happiness.. to mom..

2009-05-10T17:56:00.000+08:00

"A mom forgives us all our faults, not to mention one or two we don't even have."-Robert Brault

我是老外。。hami?? not ang-mor la..

2009-05-07T22:29:00.002+08:00

there was this advertisement in taiwan which used the catch-phrase.. "人人叫我老外。。“ to label those who eat outside.. 外食族。。 because of work reasons, i too have joined the 外食一族。。也變成老外。。

actually, eating meals outside is sometimes a bit of a chore.. while there are choices aplenty, sometimes you only eat those few types of food.. and after a while, you would get bored..

and when you do.. yours truly would cook something.. for instance.. this 貧民牛排。。 hey.. it's the economic crisis, and what better way to save then to cook a relatively cheap piece of meat.. enjoy it in natural breeze (no air conditioning.. too expensive).. while watching a downloaded copy of wolfie (er.. er.. er.. enough said.. )..

of course.. once in a while, you will miss mom's cooking.. granted, is those 家常小炸。。but it is the effort and love put into making those dishes that makes them incomparable to anything in this world..

but, as i see my parents grow older.. i think it is a luxury, and a privilege.. to be able to eat those dishes..

so.. in tandem with mothers' day and the upcoming fathers' day.. i think it would only be fit to wish all parents a happy parents' day..

and that you should know every son and daughter appreciate the dishes that you have prepared all throughout their lives..

drastic time calls for DRASTIC MEASURES..

2009-05-05T10:10:00.001+08:00

by now, everyone has heard of the H1N1 flu/influenza A/swine flu/Mexican flu.. as previously blogged, this spread of disease's status is rapidly being upgraded.. soon to level 6 on WHO's scale - to pandemic (not to worry.. it means that we must be vigilant.. it does not mean the end of the world)..

every country/territory responds differently.. more interestingly is how HONG KONG has responded when a guest fell ill from the aforementioned influenza.. the entire hotel where he had stayed before was locked down for seven days (isolation precaution), trapping its 300 occupants inside..

everyone involved (or movement-challenged) tried to stay sane by blogging, taking telephone interviews from overseas media; and so on, and so forth.. but is this action a bit drastic?? maybe SO.. but the HONG KONG and many ASIAN governments have beforehand experienced first-hand the SARS epidermic, which they felt helpless when it hit.. now with what would appear to be similar if not more deadly conditions, the government(s) immediate actions to quarantine is an all out effort to contain the disease..

what are my personal thoughts?? maybe if i were a tourist/businessman, i would not have wanted my time in HONG KONG to be spent locked-down in a hotel.. but hey.. the HK government had thought fit to gift these inconvenienced people.. "The guests have also been offered free stays at other city hotels, calling cards, a travel card each valued at HK$100 and a free ride to the airport. If that wasn't enough, each of them will today also get a "gift set", with free movie coupons and admission tickets to Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland and Ngong Ping Cable Car."

IT IS NOT ABOUT THE FREEBIES.. it is about containing a possible threat..

but seriously.. if i were in that hotel.. given full board and access to wifi.. a nice bedroom.. not much to worry about.. maybe this little stay-in is acceptable.. plus the added freebies don't hurt..

heck.. what am i on about??

LET US BE VIGILANT.. STOP H1N1..

p.s. i have since been updated that companies regard the "quarantined" period as days off, to be deducted from annual leave..

happy labour day.. LESS we complain..

2009-04-30T09:05:00.000+08:00

tomorrow, May 1.. is mayday.. is labour day.. a day when we celebrate the contribution of the labour workforce towards the development of our respective beloved countries..

it is also a time for many who are without employment to ponder the meaning of the day.. that it was supposed to acknowledge the economic and social achievements of workers, instead it has become a time to scramble and go all out to hunt down employment possibilities..

so for the lucky us who remained in the labour force even though many within our ranks have fallen to the dreaded Rs.. recession, right-sizing, restructuring, retrenchment,.. need i go on??

LESS us complain.. be thankful of not having to worry as much.. and let us all try our very best to help pull ourselves and those that have fallen OUT of this mess.. so that come next labour day.. we can really pat ourselves with having really rescued the world out of the current global economic crisis and the many victims it claimed along the way..

fear.. of the "what if"..

2009-04-29T09:11:00.000+08:00

we are all being consumed by FEAR right now.. fear of the H1N1 flu spreading to our shores.. fear of collapse of this and that.. fear of depreciations of this and that.. fear of diminishing returns to this and that.. fear of the "what if's"...

so we are faced with yet another challenging chapter in human history with the 'what if H1N1 became a super virus that could spread so quickly it would decimate most of the global population' scenario.. YES, we should be prepared for the worst case scenario.. but have worrying and fearing taken over our common sense??

i read recently an article of a woman in New York who let her 9-year old boy ride the New York Subway alone carrying the guidelines that of New York Subway Authorities or something.. the guidelines did state that it allows over 8 year-olds to travel alone.. the woman let her child ride one stop, and that she was there to greet him at the next stop.. but upon the child leaving the following stop, he was accompanied by officers who posted a barrage of "what if" questions to the lady that at the end, the child decided to ask his mother to accompany him next time.. he was more bothered by the officers' non-stop questions than being in the subway alone..

so here's my point.. we have become a little timid, a little bit less adventurous, a little bit scared too easily.. granted the global events of the past decade have slowly reshaped our believes, but we should not be living like this..

true.. the world is a more dangerous place than it was many years ago.. but it is not to say the world has changed so drastically that it is so unsafe.. precautions, proper education and common sense must prevail..

in the case of the current H1N1 flu.. more and more scientific information has been released suggesting that though deadly, preventative measures can be taken.. the is no need to panic (just yet).. and nor should one FEAR the "what if's"..

human race has survived many trials and tribulations.. and it will survive this one..

as the movie tagline goes.. carpe diem..

let's be vigilant..

2009-04-29T05:10:00.000+08:00

it is a bit distressing to know that we are yet facing another disease that is getting so much media coverage.. the SWINE FLU.. but since it was firstly detected in mexico and the world swine is offensive to some parties, i think i'd stick to MEXICAN FLU (advance apologies to the country)..

according to WIKI..

Swine influenza (also swine flu) refers to influenza caused by any strain of the influenza virus endemic in pigs (swine). Strains endemic in swine are called swine influenza virus (SIV).

Swine flu is common in swine and rare in humans. People who work with swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine influenza if the swine carry a strain able to infect humans. However, these strains rarely are able to pass from human to human. Rarely, SIV mutates into a form able to pass easily from human to human. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak is believed to have undergone such a mutation.

In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and ofinfluenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak in most cases causes only mild symptoms and the infected person recovers fully in a few days.

Of the three genera of human flu, two are endemic also in swine:Influenzavirus A (common) and Influenzavirus C (rare). Influenzavirus Bhas not been reported in swine. Within Influenzavirus A and Influenzavirus C, the strains endemic to swine and humans are largely distinct.

therefore, let us all be vigilant.. if and when you yourself or your friends and kin exhibit the aforementioned symptoms or suspect of being infected by the flu, please consult a doctor..

“怎麼男生皮膚也那麼白？”。。。

2009-04-27T17:55:00.000+08:00

最近，很常聽到 “你的皮膚真的很白呢”..而且, 也被說 “皮膚真的很白的男生”。。有點錯噁感。。不但女性朋友，連親屬和咖啡店的阿姨都有說過。。這是否意味著男生不可以太白？？

小頌必需澄清。。從上午7時30分至下午5時，小頌都處在一個沒有窗戶的辦公室，也只有熒光燈照明。。所以我白的概率當然會比別人高。。僦變更白咯。。

那麼，為什麼這些傢伙都列為陽光男孩？而白白的小頌我，僦不能跟陽光誇上等號？？

本人承認。。每天都有在防曬。。可我沒有特地去避陽光。。不像一些司機。。把他們的車停在紅錄登前的那棵大樹下避曬。。也不過幾分鐘而已。。真的。。不會講，也沒力氣講！！

防曬就是最基本防皮膚癌的方式。。所以，記得防曬喔。。

好無奈。。小頌僦是那麼白。。不要在講我了。。

the art of complaining..

2009-04-24T12:35:00.000+08:00

OK.. so we all have experienced the GREAT services provided by our monopoly ISP.. it isn't great but we make do.. when days of bad connection come, our only avenue of recourse is calling them directly to make a complain.. lodging a complain with the consumer association seems to have not resulted in any improvements, so basically you would just call in.. and once very often you will loose temper with the customer service offices on the other end..

i understand that they work on some form of script.. that you need to check this and that.. do this and that.. etc. etc.. but those steps are really most of the time useless when the basic problem was the line itself.. so you BERADE them..

BUT.. i found out that doing this has a side-effect which i did not consider.. because of job requirement, i moved to a different location but the existing line could still be utilised for broadband application.. herein lies the problem.. i think they have flagged the line as being troublesome.. too much complaints.. as i tried to apply for a connection on the old line, i was told that the ISP would probably be reluctant to approve the application due to fear of more complaints because of inconsistency problems with the line..

HENCE.. i feel a bit perturbed.. i mean it is the customers' right to complain.. and it was not the fault of yours truly to complain but merely exercising what i as a consumer am entitled to do.. and for that the company has decided to not grant me approval when i did nothing wrong..

further, the new location has no problem with the same account (after i moved it).. which led me to believe that it was the old line that was faulty.. because of faulty lines and interrupted services, i made those complaints as entitled.. the ISP should have tried to solve the exiting problem(s) instead of denying an application..

if more people experience the same type of problems and make complaints, will they also be flagged and subsequently denied approvals?

i might continue to complain to higher authorities..

mealtime conundrums..

2009-04-24T05:24:00.000+08:00

one of the many conundrums that life throws at you is the mealtime selections.. granted we are living in paradise-ish conditions (NOTE: i say this because our current living conditions are considered somewhat luxurious when millions around the globe struggle for basic shelter, food and sanitation/healthcare), when it comes to our gastronomical desires to satisfy that extremely picky palate we find ourselves with asking that similar question : "WHAT TO HAVE?"

of perhaps we're just too spoilt..

remember.. you EAT TO LIVE.. not LIVE TO EAT..

running on empty..

2009-04-20T10:48:00.000+08:00

ever get the feeling that you are just trudging along with no target in sight.. essentially running on empty, which is a bit ironic as cars on empty would not run unless going down an infinite slope..

perhaps is just normalcy setting in.. and that with normalcy, there is nothing to bring ups or downs.. just flatline.. which sounds dire..

i think the daily talk of the global slump is wearing me down.. economic-downturn fatigue..

if only..

maybe i need to be inspired.. SUSAN BOYLE, inspire me..

the complexity of being menial..

2009-04-17T06:46:00.000+08:00

as one procrastinate on the content to this posting, one was struck with the doomed feeling of an impending negative improvement of one's command of the english language.. the daily short messages on the instant messaging services has left one limited to searching for ways to abbreviate many words and terminologies used in daily conversation..

hence lies the complexity of being menial.. that within the need to excel beyond the current proficiencies that one holds on the english language, one is faced with the insurmountable obstacle that is the less than stellar command by peers.. which has led to the diminution and the interlacing of different colloquialisms to improve comprehension.. o woe is me.. scratch that.. it is an extreme privilege to be able to enhance the daily interpersonal experience with conducting high level speech maligning exercises that redefines the social acceptance of proper mannerism when interacting with peers..

with this, one leaves the discussion for another proper avenue and period..

competing with the downline??

2009-04-15T12:03:00.001+08:00

i received a call from the insurance company that i trusted my well-being to.. and got a funny surprise.. it was outright soliciting to top up on my current plan..

while the sales pitch was to be expected, i was a bit shocked that the head company is actually direct-calling its customers who were already being served by their field agents to push sales.. if i were an agent, i would be pretty unhappy with the situation.. how could the head company, which i worked for is actually competing directly with me too..

in essence, the head company has by-passed the goodwill and effort on the agents part to promote a sale to the customer.. in my opinion, this is just unethical.. if the product was handed over to the agent in charge and subsequently presented to me, then i would have less of an issue, but to by-pass the agent and at the same time mentioning his name in the hope of invoking any sort of kin-ship and relationship is a bit.. unseemly..

or perhaps i hold too high a standard.. since the economic crisis, everyone is trying to survive and these companies do need to still make those above-normal profits to be able to generate the cashflow to reward their top managements or top agents or whatever..

or am i being too cynical.. i don't feel comfortable about this..

a little sun, perhaps??

2009-04-08T06:32:00.000+08:00

being cooped-up in an office is one thing.. but in one of those offices with no windows with a view of the outside world..

artificial lighting and air conditioning for five days a week.. makes me appreciate the sun a bit more..

wish i was at the beach, relaxing on a sun-bed or something..

eh.. i don't like the heat too..

palace of the golden horses

2009-01-18T17:09:00.002+08:00

as i said, i stayed at the palace of the golden horses and let me just say.. i was flabbergasted by their attention they pay to the horse.. it is just.. too horsey..

while the hotel is a bit off the way, it is surrounded by luscious greens and sparse land.. beautifully maintained lawn i should add..

everything in the hotel is horse-themed.. even in the bathroom...

and to top it.. the hotel cafe, aptly named the carousel cafe.. has, wait for it, carousel horses.. haha..

actually the deco in the cafe was pleasant..

like i said, everything is of the horse figurine..

even their chairs.. in the lobby. that is..

the lobby is grand.. with, you've guessed it.. horse-themed decorations..

at night, it does look serene.. calm..

so.. maybe don't be put off by the distance.. it's quite pleasant actually the stay..

小頌私防菜之。。。 sun-cooked olives..

2008-11-01T15:53:00.001+08:00

i followed my parents to the local wet market to get some local olives because my parents were making a trip to see some relative and decided to get them some of this nice local delicacy.. since it was a sunny day i decided to get a half kilogram worth of it to make my sun-cooked olives..

you'll need the following ingredients:

1/2 kg of olives
sugar
soy sauce
that's all.. REMEMBER to do this on a hot sunny day..

first.. wash the olives.. then add sugar and soy sauce (depends on how sweet and how salty you want it)... mix them and then pour onto a flat dish..

leave it under the hot sun.. i left it for 3 - 4 hours to let it "cook".. after the hot sun cooked my olives, i just took them in..

look!!! it is cooked through.. i should have added more sugar but.. it still tasted good..

this way, the goodness of the fruit is not lost through boiling it and then cooking it.. by adding the sugar and soy sauce, the flavor goes directly into the fruit..

some have been shocked by how this could be done.. IT CAN.. and IT HAS..

yum yum...

ENJOY..

project E.L.M.O...

2008-10-08T19:06:00.000+08:00

over the hari raya break, i took a little break of my own and found myself in KL.. i was supposed to go there to meet up with an university mate but i was AirBus380-ed..

but it was an enjoyable trip nontheless.. so i decided to call my trip PROJECT E.L.M.O in recognition of my friends' shitzu.. which is also named elmo.. E.L.M.O is my acronym for Enjoy Life, Mindful Oblivian.. i am taking cues from my friend's shitzu.. hehe..

i sort of observed that the doggie spends its days waiting for its daddy and mommy to come and spend time with it.. along the day, it has no real agenda but to run around the house and keep itself buy until family time..

elmo (the doggie) would often sit behind the gate to peer out into the open world.. i think most of us do that, looking at that greener grass.. sometimes mundane sets in and a sense of lost just washes over.. but most times, that greener grass is nothing in comparison with the comfort that is home..

i think sometimes we overthink our lives.. simplicity maybe the answer.. don't over analyse.. take a cue from elmo.. just be contented.. and all the good things will come to you..

Social Networking Wars.. how true..

2008-09-22T11:43:00.002+08:00

i think the novice that is the online social networking craze has sort of platoued.. maintaining several social networks online is a hassle in some ways.. having to log into everyone of them to check what is posted, what is new, etc. is kind of time consuming..

some of them are aggressive, sending out emails to inform you of events and recent updates..

but sometimes, it is just plain annoying.. being poked and superpoked etc etc.. oh well.. maybe that was the design..

when we have an abundant of internet content we have to sieve through to get some good content, a poke is probably the one thing you would ignore..

or maybe it is just that no one really pokes at my profile.. ahhaa...

i'm lame..

a literary effort : the bankrupt prince and the m.i.a princess

2008-09-16T17:42:00.000+08:00

i was watching a program which sort of wanted the participants to "compose" the whole story from a few given clues/sentences.. so i thought i would give that a try.. and test out how much of the english language has deserted me whilst i become less dependent on the language for everyday life..

THE PRINCE IS BANKRUPT. THE PRINCESS WENT MISSING. the ending... THE PRINCE AND THE PRINCESS LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER...

The Prince has been declared a bankrupt. The war on the neighbouring state has exhausted the Prince's credit and due to the Prince's default in a lot of payments and being arears in others, he has been subsequently declared bankrupted.

That rainy morning, the Prince left his castle as it was repossesed by the banks to be auctioned off. He was saddened that his efforts to keep the invading neighboring state did not result in victory and his heart pained to see his subjects suffering from the mistreatments from the invading army.

Time passed and his status as Prince was no longer. He became a common folk, a peasant and began to make those nice pan fried chinese dumplings he was so fond of when he was a child. His memory was filled with those days when his mother made them for him and his sister. But as soon as his thoughts of his sister surfaced, he became still. His sister, the Princess has gone missing since young and he has not seen her for more than a decade. He still believed that she was alive but could not bring himself to think that she was no longer of this earth.

As his dumplings became famous, more people came to his shop. He met a nice girl and got married.

One day, his wife shouted out in exhilaration as she saw her best friend. The wife's best friend has gone off to another land helping the underpriviledged and had done so for many years. She (the best friend) too exhaulted joy to see her friend. As they sat and talked and enjoyed the delicious dumplings made by the "Prince", the best friend's eyes suddenly teared up.

She uttered that the taste was familiar, that her mother used to make the dumpling for herself and her brother. Asked if she knew where her brother was, she said she did not know as she was taken away when she was young by her mother and left that big house to live in a faraway place.

On hearing that, the Prince began to suspect her identity. The Prince began to slowly see the reseamblance of his mother in her and when he saw the locket she was wearing, he immediately took out his. Both were identical. She was the Princess that went missing for all those years and he was the brother she had know to exist but had no contact with for so long.

As they cried and hugged each other, the wife prayed and thanked the Lord for the reunion of her husband and her sister, who was her best friend but became her sister-in-law.

Their mother has since passed but her memory lived on in the dumplings that they make. As their business grew bigger, the Prince no longer minded the fact he was no longer Prince. Gone were the responsibilities but instead, he became benevolant to his customers and began to help as many as he could.

Years passed but the good deed of the kind Prince and his benevolance reached far and wide. As the invading ruler died, the Prince was returned to the throne. In his rule, he made sure everyone was able to enjoy peace and maintained good diplomacy with neighbouring states.

The Princess met a Prince from one of the neighbouring state who too loved to help the less fortunate. Together, they began their quest to rid their kingdoms of hatred and war and suffering, giving out hope and love and generosity to all they met on their journey.

As the Prince and the Princess were kind to all, their's were a kingdom not touched by war, famine, or poverty but abundance and forever grateful. The Prince and Princess lived happily ever after, knowing that their good deeds were spreading to all corners of their kingdom.

just some carbohydrates fix..

2008-09-13T19:43:00.004+08:00

i went to town to try to eat tien pien ngu.. but unfortunately the traffic was horrenderous.. including the weekend rush to get those lottery tickets.. or maybe because tomorrow is mid-autumn festival..

anyway.. i ended up at the dumpling tea house.. a little bit off foochow lane here..

on the day.. i ordered the zha jian mian 炸酱面 and the woh tieh 锅贴...

zha jian mian 炸酱面

this dish is not bad.. the sauce looks like what i see on tv.. but i hadn't really tried out the taiwanese or korean version.. maybe next time.. but this one's not bad.. but i like to add the chilli oil to this..

woh tieh 锅贴

actually this one is not bad.. for rm4.50 you get 10 pieces of this pork and chives pan fried dumpling.. nice.. you must eat with the ginger and dark vinegar..

not a bad outing..

the new iPod Touch version 090908

2008-09-10T07:30:00.000+08:00

Apple just released its updated version of its cross-platform all-in-one console.. with wifi capabilities and gaming enable, the new iPod Touch with its new 2.1 firmware is designed to capture a lucrative handheld gaming sector..

eh.. why am i reviewing it?? i am not a reviewer.. i just thought it is a cool device.. now with inbuilt speakers.. someone suggested that soon, you can perform VOIP chats on it.. i.e. via skype or MSN or Yahoo Messenger or AIM.. well.. you get the drift..

now if only i have full wifi connection wherever i go...

how to untangle???

2008-07-11T05:50:00.000+08:00

i was reading 熊寶的塗畫日誌 and felt that things have sort of become a bit stuck.. halted.. not moving.. you get the drift..

i think there is a time when everyone hits a plateau.. a time of just plain nothingness.. well, sort of nothingness.. i don't even know what the hell am i on about here.. maybe just a sense of urgency as time keep on passing by quickly..

let's not dwell on that too much.. since today is the global launch day for iPhone 3G, i thought i'd post some photos gathered from the net... looks kind of cool.. a bit tad expensive on its own, but still..

070108 the halfway mark...

2008-07-01T07:29:00.000+08:00

today is the 1st day of July in the year 2008.. the half way mark for this 2008th year in the AD..

a look in the calendar, it lists today as the the 183rd day of 2008 and there are 183 days left before we enter 2009..

so a half year has gone by.. review time i guess for many of us living in dire conditions brought about by changes in this half year.. were we prepared for it?? are we prepared for more of it?? is there more to expect?? more questions for the next 183 days before 2009..

so far this past half year, we had to adapt to new changes in many facets of our daily lives.. there was that 0308.. then there was the increasing global oil price (futures) that caused our local pump to increase in its retail price per liter (doh!!).. which gradually effected many things.. and shrinking our spending abilities.. if only i could strike the jackpot on sportstoto..

there were of course those tragedies that happened abroad.. it was disheartening to see people suffering from natural disaster and yet others trying to make money out of it.. or gain some celebrity out of it (attention ms. SS... please shut up!!)..

so far 2008 has been uneventful.. with one thing happening after another.. or perhaps we live in a world bombarded with too much information that our brains are conditioned to only take in the bad and forget that some good happened too..

well.. to the next half..

the 2008 summer olympics will be held in beijing on the 8th day of august, 2008.. which before was too politicized.. please, there should be a "segregation" of sports and politics.. this is the stage for the many people who have worked hard to hone their skills and perform at their best for their country and personal glory at a world stage.. do not use this as a means to promote personal agendas.. it is the wrong forum.. COMMON SENSE and BETTER JUDGEMENT and COURTESY..

of course, there are some more hollywood movies to grace our screens.. so watch out for those.. but since everything has gone up in price, i would probably just stay at home..

................................

being here today...

2008-06-26T18:11:00.000+08:00

"Modern man drives a mortgaged car over a bond-financed highway on credit-card gas."- Earl Wilson 1907-, American newspaper columnist

您端午節了沒？

2008-06-08T10:54:00.000+08:00

今天是端午節。。

從 wiki。。“端午節於每年農曆五月初五舉行，又稱端陽節、午日節、五月節、五日節、艾節、端五、重午、午日、夏節，本來是夏季的一個驅除瘟疫的節日，後來楚國詩人屈原於端午節投江自盡，就變成紀念屈原的節日，與春節、中秋同屬中國最重要的傳統節日。在2008年，端午節在6月8日。”

小頌覺得人生如粽子。。

即使外層是糯米，可是備案還有這麼多的選擇。。

有些裹頭包著貴的物品，如鮑魚，扇貝，蝦等， ..

也有些包著紅豆沙..

無論是什麼材料，如我們的人生..不知道什麼是備案，直到我們把它咬下.. （除非我們看到的作過程） ..

happy dumpling day 2008..

forrest gump said that "life is like a box of chocolate"...

i say that "life is like a dumpling".. you don't know what the filing is until you bite into it.. it could be sweet or it could be savoury.. whatever the taste, it is life.. full of surprises and mysteries.. and we only could only know the outcome when we tried it..

eat that dumpling.. taste life.. the sweet and the savoury..

(NOTE : if you have high blood pressure or diabetes or any other ills, please make note to take in moderation or find alternative types of dumplings.. )

美麗的夕陽 ^ ^

2008-05-29T17:19:00.000+08:00

那天下班，在路上看到這美麗的天空景色。。就想快把它拍攝下來。。

這些照片，從我的角度來看，很漂亮喔。。。

那天有點亂和急，又怕畫面消失，小頌就用手機來拍這些照片，所以希望畫面質量是好的..

希望這張照片帶點平靜給您

ticked off.. DO NOT SMS/TEXT WHILE YOU DRIVE...

2008-05-27T05:57:00.000+08:00

just now, i was ticked off by some drive who was sms-ing while driving.. my goodness, what is he thinking..

at first, i was wondering why the car in front of me was driving with a non-uniformed speed.. and he stopped like 3 cars away from the car in front of him.. i thought he was a overtly careful driver at first..

but, then i caught a glimpse of his side mirror.. to my horror... he was sms-ing.. probably searching for that cute icon of a smiley face or something..

the horror continued.. we stopped at a traffic light.. he was sms-ing.. then from the get go at the traffic light, he was still sms-ing.. i decided ENOUGH is ENOUGH.. so i cut pass him.. i saw him glimpsed over to me as i was tailing him before..

UNCLE.. if you want to stare at me, then please know that you are driving dangerously on the road.. SMS-ing..

DO NOT SMS/TEXT WHILE DRIVING..

成雙成對。。。

2008-05-21T16:53:00.001+08:00

早餐時，看到這張照片在報紙上。。想跟大家分享。。都成雙了耶。。。

最近感覺有點down。。或許是因為天氣的悶熱，它也。。。

其實，我也不知道怎麼說。。。

就覺的累。。。沒方向感。。。可能風沒在吹把。。。

好啦。。。不要在講這個了。。下面的照片是在莫本地政府部門怕的。。有點不知道是否掛在正確的地方嗎？？

CHOYA umeshu チョヤ

2008-05-18T08:57:00.003+08:00

one of the drinks i like from japan is this.. CHOYA umeshu.. a plum wine from japan..

according to their website .. "From olden times on to the present day, UME-fruit liqueur has been a familiar beverage in Japanese households well known and loved for its relaxing effect as well as its usefulness for keeping healthy. Because of the faint aroma, well-balanced acidity and sweetness of UME-fruit liqueur, it is said to be one of the most delicious liquors in the world.

The reasons why it is good for our health are, firstly, the main component of the organic acid incorporated in UME-fruit liqueur is citric acid. This substance relieves fatigue and helps the body recover its energy and vitality. This is what is known as UME-fruit liqueur's relaxing effect.

Second, drinking just a bit in times when the appetite is lost stimulates saliva and gastric secretions enhancing the appetite and bringing out the flavor of any meal. Third and last, UME-fruit liqueur possesses a sterilizing effect and an intestinal digestion process coordinating effect that purifies the body's internal organs and relieves diarrhea.
UME-fruit liqueur not only soothes the weary body and soul but is also a potent medicinal agent. Backed by well-substantiated scientific proof, UME-fruit liqueur is synonymous with good health."

anyway... i wanted to try this the very first time i went to japan... but i did not get a chance.. and on leaving japan (during that first trip), i bought a small bottle which i did not want to open..

on my second trip there, i sampled it and liked it a lot.. and it was winter, so basically the wine helps.. haha..

although i have a suspicion that this wine is specifically targeted for the female buying public.. but hey.. a good wine, everyone should enjoy.. for people who don't drink too much wine and want to taste this.. very recommended..

漲價，什麼都漲。。。

2008-05-06T18:04:00.000+08:00

早上在咖啡館，那個出了名的騙人阿姨又來行騙。。。

她到小頌所坐的位置，跟小頌說。。。“小弟弟，可以給我五元來購買早餐麼？“

哇靠！！！五元買早餐。。。我吃的才四元不到。。。

我就不理她, 繼續吃我的早餐。

她接著就前往下一桌，繼續要錢。

沒有人給了她。

但是，問題是。。。是否已造成通貨膨脹，甚至到乞丐／騙子啊姨，都要增加他們的行乞／騙價格嗎？？哈哈

a quote...

2008-05-04T13:32:00.000+08:00

"If we knew each other's secrets, what comforts we should find."

John Churton Collins

四面鐘。。。

2008-04-26T09:47:00.002+08:00

今天，在購物中心，簽了某銀行的信用卡

是終身免費的..不必使用..

他們就送小頌這個小禮物。。。四面時鐘

面一..時鐘

面二..溫度器

面三..計時器

面四..鬧鐘..

但他們沒有送我電池，我還要自己購買

2008的年第一次生病。。。

2008-04-24T15:28:00.001+08:00

我生病..（好樣是在慶祝什麼的。。。哈哈。。）這是第一次啦，在2008年。。。

可是在一個星期四..：（

什麼都來了。。。頭痛，肚子痛，喉嚨痛，身體好酸，又發燒，又怕冷。。。

之前，當我洗澡時，那個太陽照熱過的水在由電熱水器在加熱，小宋還認為不夠熱..我要更熱一點點。。使我不會覺得冷....

生病讓我覺得很累啊。。。寫到這裡啦。。。希望明天我會好了。。。

a new place to eat... 台灣美食。。。

2008-04-17T10:55:00.002+08:00

this is a new place to eat.. oh.. not that new but still, this was my first time there though...
i have been having cravings for beef noodles in soup... particularly those of the vietnamese style.. but seeing as my colleagues were saying that this place is not bad, i thought i'd give it a try..

the decor is not bad actually.. simple.. i think this would have been a typical decor in taiwan.. i ordered a hot beef noodles soup.. to be honest, the menu was all written in chinese with english pin yin (which serve no purpose to those who can't understand chinese in the first place.. hehehe.. i forgot to tell the lady boss about that during the impromptu survey that she did right after i had my meal = =)
the noodles was nice.. HOT was the operative word.. i have to say the heat got to me first before the taste.. and the noodles was a tad bit soggy to my liking.. which i told the lady boss.. but i guess others might like the soft noodles.. i prefer it al-dente - please this is not italian pasta.. haha.. oh well..

the lady boss treated me to a piece of toast.. some taiwanese style toast.. not bad.. milky in taste.. i kinda enjoyed it.. also she started a conversation with me.. fact gathering i guess for the business.. through the conversation i found out the place was probably in operations since the beginning of the year and that the lady boss had beforehand stayed in taiwan.. the experience was pleasant.. i was sweating from eating the hot soup.. everything was hot in there.. but i was in an air-conditioned room.. hmm...

大叔趕完了沒？

2008-03-30T07:04:00.000+08:00

早上去吃早中餐時，發生了有趣和令人抓狂的事

早上太多人了，所以都要排隊等。。。不知道為什麼，小頌點的那一樣就很快的來了，可是旁邊桌的大叔就立刻的走來跟服務生說是他先點的，所以因該先送過給他。。。然後他就對小頌說是他先，就快快的叫那個服務生送過去。。。
小頌一句話也沒說。。。

過了五分鐘後，小頌的食物來了。。。

大叔好沒禮冒也。。。還好我不是那麼的餓。。。

星期天也那麼的趕？趕什麼？

三月的雨。。。

2008-03-24T19:14:00.000+08:00

這三月，很會下雨。。。
可能是春天的到來把。。。啊！忘了，這裡沒有四季，只有雨天或清天。。。

也好。。。讓雨清潔一下大環境...

讓大家停下來思考，在下雨後的寧靜...

想。。。

2008-03-05T17:48:00.000+08:00

三月來的可真快啊，讓記憶中的二月慢慢的消失...在這兩者之間，那些所停下的許多煩腦，現在又開始思想。。。目前有很少的能量去把它給做到。。。所以想。。。

想幼稚一點點，但現實很殘酷，
想要快樂，但總覺的悲傷，
想活躍，但仍然是被動的，
想大膽，但永遠膽子小，
想親近，但感覺陌生,
想誠實，但因為害怕而不敢，
想離開，但不舍得，
想自由，但被現實綁住，
想追，但沒有目標，
想擁抱，但根本不可能。。。

人生嗎，有很多如意和不如意的。。。想太多也不能解決問題。。。

就讓它順其自然

cafe cafe in town...

2008-02-15T04:43:00.000+08:00

one of the nights, the remaining gang and i went to cafe cafe in town near the river front to just sit and yumcha...

the place was packed... even at around 9.30 p.m. leftover crowds from the chinese new year celebration...

usually by the 7th day of the cny celebration, people who had come back for the celebration had already gone back to their places and spaces elsewhere..

anyway.. we were enjoying the night there, chatting up old times...

the atmosphere is actually nice.. it was really cold inside the place, so decided to sit outside.. but the weather suddenly turned chilly these past few days.. normally we won't feel the chill that much.. but interestingly enough, the tropically heaty place like sibu has also those chilly nights..

the night was cold, yet we ordered cold drinks too... well.. served us right for complaining about the cold and still ordering cold drinks..

but it is a good place to hang out... they have wifi too...

back to normal???

2008-02-13T06:39:00.000+08:00

today marked the 7th day of the into the new lunar new year.. after the festivities, things are returning to normal... or are they...

for one thing, people are returning to their own places and spaces, continuing on with their lives... many people who made it an effort to return to their home towns for the celebration have left, despite the unwillingness to go...

sure, coming back to one's hometown would be preceded with a feeling of anticipation.. then euphoria.. if the stay were slightly longer, boredom will set it.. but when time comes to leave, a sense of unwillingness will set in...

as for me, i too feel this.. anticipating my friends from all over to return for the festivities.. enjoying their company during these days of celebration.. but as they leave to return to their lives, a feeling of emptiness just sets in.. it is uncomfortable..

i don't know will normalcy ever set in... i guess is not just the missing of people, but holding on to those dear memories that accompanied each and everyone of us throughout our lives...

when we say our goodbyes and arranged to meet the next lunar new year, i wonder if things will continue to change till that promise also becomes a blurr?? please don't...

小頌的一月。。。

2008-01-31T10:35:00.001+08:00

２００８年的一月過的很快。。。今天是月低了。。。在過個幾天就要過春節。。。歡迎鼠年的到來。。。

小頌出了一個小門，去看看外面的世界，也學習和吸收了一些新東西。。。

同時，小頌也過了一個生日。。。又多了一歲。。。但還是覺得自己像個長大了小孩。。。思想還未很成熟。。。哈哈。。。可能是不想要接受成長所帶來一的些壓力。。。

不講那些了。。。小頌發現身邊的好朋友，其實本人在大家的心中也有一定重要的地位。。。事實是，交和做朋友是不需要回報的。。。可但小頌收到這些禮物時，我就覺得感動。。。朋友萬歲。。。

好啦。。。一月過了就過了。。。希望新的鼠年會帶來無鼠（數）的好運。。。

節日期間很累。。。

2007-12-31T00:18:00.001+08:00

節日是一個很累的時候。。。從聖誕節到新年，小頌只能用 “太多“ 來形容這段期間。。。

本人慘加了“太多”的婚禮 ﹣ 我表哥和我好朋友都在這幾天結婚。同時，佳節的到來也讓小頌吃了“太多“的美食。。。

現在，已要開始減肥了。。。好餓！！！

卅一晚，除夕夜，也是“太多” 的吃喝玩樂。。。哈哈。。。

也好，跟好友聚聚在一起也不錯啦。。。倒數新年。。。至少，不用宅在家裡，哈哈。。。

好啦。。。祝大家２００８年快樂。。。心想事成，部部高升。。。等等。。。

宅男之幽默篇 - 本人是宅男 ???

2007-12-16T21:03:00.001+08:00

也沒有啦。。。不是不出門，而是因為沒地方去嗎。。。很想去上個日語課，可是，只有初學班，沒得升班。。。

可能喜歡的東西都有點不尋常，例如，語言學，攝影，錄像，等。。。因為在這裡有我可以做的東西是有限的，所以就變宅男（！？！）。。。

但本人的社校還可以。。。至少我不迴避。。。可是我話不多。。。魔羯座的人嗎，不太愛講話。。。

好了，不只有我一人啦。。。不要批評我們啦，我們是受保護動物嗎。。。哈哈。。。

ＰＥＡＣＥＯUT

when it rains... it pours....

2007-12-12T09:48:00.001+08:00

it rained quite heavily and frequently these past few days...

water became logged and thus the drainage system cannot take it... causing few arterial roads to be flooded, cutting off excess to towns etc...

i sure hope this is not some bad omen... i mean i had my computer and all stolen a week ago and those probably have already been stripped of its parts, made its way into the black market and sold off to the highest bidder.... oopppss my imagination has run wild again...

anyway... while i like the calming effect of the rain sound, the flood is a total inconvenience... i tried to get into town but ended making a u-turn half way through it doesn't look like i will make it through the jam...

most of the drivers are mom&pop drivers who are chauffeuring their kids around due to the school holidays... they are not experienced enough to drive the cut-throat way... while it is courtesy to give way, it is not in this particular situation...

anyway... hopefully i will be able to make it town later in the afternoon...

What 2008 holds for the 12 chinese astrological animals...

2007-12-11T10:49:00.001+08:00

2008 The year of Rat arriving on Feb 7th.

2007 the year of the Pig was a very unstable one. Behind the smoke screen of a property craze in Singapore, the year was filled with political unrest in many countries, market turmoil, terror attacks, natural calamities and illnesses. Good news for all! Though in the early months of the 2008 Chinese year, the after- effects of 2007 will still linger around with us, 2008 the year of Rat is going to be an easier year for most of us in general. It will be filled with greater vibrancy and energy. It is time for you to stand up, to do some stretches and read on…

Movement is the word that governs this year. What does that mean? There will be more traveling for us. It could be either for business or vacation. Our hearts will be screaming for the latter. Many people will be migrating, relocating or even moving actively about within a country.

If you are traveling, migrating or relocating to another country while enjoying the excitement, remember to be aware and sensitive to the local cultures and blend in with society without losing your individuality. This is highlighted because humans are territorial. When the locals feel that there is a sudden increase in foreigners, hostility will arise easily and inevitably. Any misbehavior or insensitive gesture may spark off conflicts between the locals and the foreigners. Be street smart and be aware of your surroundings.

Another aspect of 2008 is that it is a great time for socializing, networking, building rapport and participating in team activities. If you are in sales, this is a golden period for you to increase your client base, build rapport with your existing clients, get new leads, clinch that new deal etc. In general, this is the time to get out there and be with others. Meet new people both through work and personally. This is the time for you to meet people who can inspire you, see the strengths in you, support you and even to finance or help you to achieve your dreams. During this period, it is more important than usual for you to be positive so that you can attract positive people into your life.

Industries that can catch on to this positive vibe are property, hospitality, tourism and entertainment. If you have business dealings within these areas, you should reap the best out of it. There will be ripple effects that will spread to other industries too.

Wish you all the best and good luck.

Feng Shui for everyone in 2008

Items that can be placed in the house/room

South East –
Amethyst
Purple Flouride
(For the power to transform dreams into reality)

South -
Five element pagoda
(For safety, protection, to ward off negativities and for health ) South West
Kyanite
(To reduce negativity from the environment while improving communication)

East -
Metal Ingots
Jade
(For prosperity)

Center -
White Gourd with six emperor coins
Natural white phantom crystal
(To boost traveling, socializing, networking and popularity)

West -
Lepidolite
(For minimizing people who try to harm you in terms of backstabbing, betrayals.)

North East -
Pagoda
(For promotion and stabilizing of position For study and concentration)

North -
Metal Pixiu or Peiyau
(For prosperity from lotteries, bonus, investments and others)

North West -
Metal Gourd
Hematite
(For reducing gossip, backstabbing and the lessening of legal problems)

RAT

General

Many people may have the misconception that when the year has the same animal sign as you are, most likely your luck is going to be worse than usual. This is not the case for you this year. This year is going to be filled with good news and opportunities. This is a great time for you to transform your dreams into reality - to pursue the dream job, the dream position, the dream salary, the dream business etc. Do not feel that your dreams are out of reach as you will get the support, meet the right people and find the appropriate resources that can bring you to your goal. Keep your heart and mind open. Remember that no matter how good the stars align for you, you still have to do your part in order to reap the best out of it. On the other hand, there will be more disputes, arguments, betrayals and misunderstandings than usual in this year. Try to be humble, keep yourself calm and objective at all times. Things will turn out well. Avoid being too stressed out. Watch out for being hospitalized and having surgery and being involved in accidents.

Career

Promotions, pay rises and more power is in store. If you have plans that you would like to implement, this is the time to do so. You will get the support from authority figures and relevant people. If you have been thinking of starting a business, this is also a good time to do so. On the career front, there will be more disputes and arguments and many may not be able to see eye to eye with you or may not be able to understand the way you handle situations. Remember to be more patient with others. Try to spend some more time in explaining and convincing rather then bulldozing your way through.

Wealth

It is very good for both your main sources and side sources of wealth.

Relationship

For those who are attached or married, there are more tensions in relationships this year. The frequency of disputes, cold wars or misunderstandings is higher than usual. Keep the communication channels open and be more patient with each other despite the high levels of stress that you may be going through. For those who are single, the chances of meeting the right person or falling in love in this year is rather slim. Your abrupt behavior or unpredictable temper could push away your suitors. Try to stabilize your temper and observe yourself through a third party’s eyes.

Health

While you are busy reaping the best out of this year, remember to have adequate rest. There is a high tendency of having illnesses such as the flu and other illnesses that are related to anxiety such as headaches and gastric problems. There are also signs of being hospitalized and involved in accidents.
People

There are a lot of arguments, betrayals and misunderstandings this year. Avoid getting into head- on conflicts with others. If you feel that someone is testing your patience or trying to antagonize you, show the person how gracious you are by being patient and smiling it off.

Action

Place a Howlite and Smokey Quartz Cluster near you. It can be on your office table or in your bedroom.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

OX

General

Good News! You have a premium ticket throughout this year. This is especially so for males. For females, you would gain more benefits if you could get assistance and support from males. In general, you will do very well in terms of career and wealth. If you have any plans, personally or professionally, this year is the time to put them into action. Despite your success in career and making more money this year, you will still feel a strong sense of insecurity and emptiness within. You will tend to be moody and depressed. Your moodiness will affect your emotions, relationships, wealth and health this year. This may lead you to indulge in activities in order to escape from the truth. The deeper you try to bury the issues, they will come back to haunt you. Why not take the opportunity of being in such a good year to work on these issues?

Career

This is a good year in terms of career. There are chances of promotions. Your bosses and authority figures will give you ample opportunities to shine. You are going to exceed their expectations. You will be given more trust and responsibilities. There are also signs of salary increases. If you are in business, this is also the year to consider expanding your business, increase your market share and grow your revenue.

Wealth

It is very good for both your main sources and side sources of wealth. However, you might overspend this year. Whether your money will be able to grow exponentially depends heavily on whether can you save this year.

Relationship

For those who are married or attached, it will be a rocky year. This is mainly due to the insecurities and moodiness. The relationship tends to grow weak and brittle when one party is always not in a good mood. Gossip or devious third parties could easily worsen the situation. Communicate clearly as to how you feel to your partner. If you are unhappy and it has nothing to do with your partner, let your partner know. For those who are single, the chance of getting attached is slim due to your emotional instability. Before you can attract the love of your life, you need to stabilize your emotions first.

Health

Your health is average in general. Do not indulge in activities that might harm your health such as drinking and eating excessively.

People

Average. You do not need to worry about back-stabbings and betrayals.

Action

Place a Citrine or an Agate in your room or office to stabilize your emotions. Place a Vanadinite to curb overspending.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

TIGER

General

You will be very busy this year and will always be on the move. There will be more traveling. There are even signs of moving house, migration or relocation. How well this year could be for you will depend heavily on yourself because there are not many lucky stars shining on you to provide the conveniences that you might need. The good news is that that there are not many obstacles before you to begin with. You will still do very well if you have been giving your best in terms of your career and financial management. You may feel especially emotionally detached this year and would like to have more personal space. This certainly will affect your relationships. The area that deserves your special attention is in the area of health and safety. There is a higher chance of falling ill or being involved in an accident or being hospitalized and having surgery this year. Please take good care of your health and have adequate rest. If you have elderly people at home, be careful of their health and safety too.

Career

In terms of your career, you will be able to perform well if your job or business requires traveling or moving around. You will also be able to do well if you are in sales or you earn on a commission basis. This year, even though you may have a very tight schedule, ensure that you do not make impulsive judgments because there are great opportunities to be had. Do not allow your lack of time to be an excuse to deny yourself of opportunities and benefits that come you way. While you remain open and receptive to success and prosperity, do your own homework and use your wisdom. Do not rely too much on others.

Wealth

This is highly dependent on whether have you been sowing the seeds and utilizing the opportunities that are presented to you. If you have been doing your homework well, rest assured that your wealth luck is favorable.

Relationship

It will be a quiet year for singles. For those who are attached or married, you may spend less time with your partner due to your busy schedule, or you may go into cold wars frequently, or you may even feel emotionally detached from the relationship. There are even signs of a breakup. This year is a challenge for relationships

Health

There is a higher tendency of falling ill this year. Be careful of safety too. For those who have elderly people at home, be cautious of their health and safety too.

People

Do not need to worry about people problems this year.

Action

Put a metallic dragon at your wealth or Gui Ren position. Carry a jade Pixiu.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

RABBIT

General

There are more obstacles for those who are born in the year of the Rabbit compared to last year. More restrictions and sudden challenges will impede progress of your desires. Your concentration is weaker and your attention span is shorter than usual. Hence, there is a strong tendency to overlook details or being forgetful. This year, it is important for you not to make impulsive decisions and if a decision is required, try to give it more time to think it through or request someone who you can trust to go through the details with you. The good part of this year is that your popularity is running high. It is a good time to build rapport, to meet new people, to meet people who could help you and to socialize and to be in a team. This year the people who could help you are females. While you are the star of the town, there are some green eyes casting their unfriendly glances at you. Remember not to make yourself an easy target for betrayal. There is a high chance of being involved in legal disputes.

Career

There are more sudden challenges that are expected to jump at you this year. Hence, always make contingency plans. You will function better in a team. If you could arrange the resources such that your teammates handle the technical or operational parts of the job while you handle the marketing and public relations side of it, your success rate will be higher. There will be more office politics this year. Be prepared to protect yourself well against it. Avoid gossip corners. Avoid flaunting your success or your popularity. There may be legal disputes due to envious people.

Wealth

Be extra careful when it comes to investments this year. This is mainly due to a lack of concentration and a shorter attention span. Either sleep on the idea for some time before making a decision or request someone that you could trust to go through the fine print of the contract before signing on the dotted line.

Relationship

This is a very good year in terms of relationships. Those who are attached will have a high chance of getting married this year. There is a strong chance that singles will meet the love of their lives. For those who are married, the passion in their relationship will be burning bright.

Health

There is a high chance of falling ill and being accident-prone. Have adequate rest to ensure that you are always alert. This is especially so for those who drive.

People

There are many back-stabbings and betrayals this year. Avoid sharing too much information with people who may have a conflict of interest with you. The irony is that due to your strong popularity this year, there are some people who will not like you to be so likeable and decide to make life tougher for you than it should. Protect yourself by not flaunting your popularity and keeping a low profile. There are signs of being involved in legal disputes this year.

Action

Put a Hematite to reduce the chance of being involved in legal situations. Place a Metal Pagoda in your concentration area on your office table. If you drive, you will require a Chan Chu Wealth Toad in your car.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

DRAGON

General

Though you will have many opportunities in terms of promotions, bestowed more responsibilities or the expansion of your business this year, there are more challenges ahead compared to the year of the Pig. You will be busier than usual but not necessary fruitful due to severe people problems. There will be more misunderstandings, betrayals, back-stabbings, and disputes this year. Hence, it is important to watch your back. Do not participate in any gossip corners and certainly avoid direct conflicts with others. There is also a high probability of being involved in legal situations. This year you might want to have more personal space. You will also be interested in religion, philosophy, metaphysics and other new age topics. This is a good year for those who are studying or doing research.

Career

The authority figures, management or your boss are likely to give you more opportunities to show of your strengths this year. There are more chances of promotions or being given more responsibilities. If you are in business, you may be considering expanding your business. You will be busy this year. However, severe office politics will prove to be very challenging for you. Avoid direct conflicts with others. This is the time to utilize your diplomatic skills. Do not trust anybody on the career front this year.

Wealth

Though your wealth luck is good this year, there is a concern of losing it through legal problems. If you are investing this year, you must do your own homework and go through the fine print. Even if it means that you need to take a longer time and greater effort to study into it before making a decision, it will be worth it.

Relationship

For those who are attached or married, you may want to have more personal space this year. For those who are single, the probability of meeting someone special is rather slim. Hang in there.

Health

You may suffer from lethargy, gastric and stomach problems, weak concentration and a short attention span. You may be more forgetful. Try to have adequate rest and be positive. Most of the health issues that will arise this year are due to people issues and being too stressed out. It may make you feel demoralized and even cause you to doubt yourself. Ensure that you surround yourself with a positive environment and positive people.

People

People problems are severe. Try to be humble, diplomatic and tactful. Avoid getting into any direct conflicts with others. Back-stabbings, betrayals and misunderstandings are very common this year. While others are trying to irritate you, especially on the career front, it is important to understand that you need to focus on your own goals and do not let others offend or affect your emotions so easily.

Action

Place a Hematite and Aragonite in your office or home.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

SNAKE

General

This year is a better year than the last, but there is still a lot of instability lingering around. On the bright side, there are many people who will help you or give you the opportunities along the way. However, there are also rather severe people problems this year. There are many back-stabbings, betrayals and even direct confrontations. You will have very good wealth luck this year, but at the same time you might suffer from an obsessive and compulsive behavior when it comes to making purchases. You tend to get obsessed over certain items and do not mind overspending or engaging in impulsive shopping sprees. Due to this behavior, it is going to be difficult to accumulate wealth this year. Another aspect to take note is that there is a high probability of falling ill this year.

Career

Office politics can prove to be rather painful. Even when there are opportunities given to you to implement your plans or when you have nearly reached your goal, there will be someone who will try to block you from success. Be careful of how you deal with them. Avoid direct confrontation and try to get more support instead.

Wealth

Though your money luck is good this year, you will tend to overspend this year. You will find yourself easily engaging in impulsive purchases or indulging in shopping therapy. Try to have a good look as to how you spend your money. You might have difficulty in accumulating wealth and even spend more than you earn. Be aware that it is always good to save for rainy days.

Relationship

For those who are attached or married, there is a high tendency of quarreling or going into cold wars. It may be partly due to the high stress caused by your work. Another possible cause of disputes is due to gossip or people who want to place a strain on your relationship. Ensure that you have good communication with your partner and do not get into a quarrel due to hearsay. For those who are single, you might not be in the right state of mind or emotion to be in love. Hence, even if the love of your life appears, there will be great hesitation on your part and you may miss the opportunity.

Health

Not good. You tend to have injuries such as sprains or fractures this year. You are also more accident prone than usual. If you need to drive, please ensure that you have adequate rest.

People

There are severe people problems this year. There are many irritating people that might obstruct you from your goals or make life more difficult for you. Beware of betrayals, back-stabbings and misunderstandings. Avoid getting into direct confrontations with others and always appear to be nice. Your temperament may be very unstable this year and will attract more people problems. Try to control your temper.

Actions

Place a Vanadinite in your wealth sector. Put a metal gourd in you health sector. If you are driving, you need a Chan Chu Wealth Toad for your car.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

HORSE

General

This is a very unstable year for those who are born in the year of the horse. The assistance that you can get from others is very minimal this year. Hence, it is important for you to make the best conscious effort to reduce the challenges you will have to face this year by being alert and prepared for all eventualities. There are many challenges this year. This includes overspending, being cheated by others, making losses in investments and getting involved in legal situations. Please be extra alert this year in terms of reading of the fine print in documents. Ensure that you really understand the details before committing and signing on the dotted line. In terms of investing, do not trust others easily. Do your own homework and take note of all the paper work. Apart from this, do not be guarantors for anyone. In addition, your health is unstable this year. If you have elderly at home, do take note of their health and safety. Keep to a safe and conservative approach this year to stabilize your life instead of trying too much. The ripples that you create might cause a huge wave that swallows you later.

Career

This year, try to keep a low profile. Do not get demoralized when there are lack of opportunities and many restrictions that impede progress in your career. This year, it is important to remain calm and to spend more time strategizing rather than trying to be in the limelight. If your job requires you to sign contracts, ensure that you study through carefully the fine print before putting your signature on the dotted line. Do not make impulsive decisions. If there are people who would like to entice you in to investing, make your own assessment and do not trust people easily. You are vulnerable to being cheated this year. Be careful and avoid legal situations.

Wealth

You tend to overspend or make losses in investments this year. Beside, there is a probability of being cheated or getting involved in legal situations. This year, avoid making investments or lending money to others. Try to stick to a stable income rather than thinking about making a quick buck. Conservative wealth management suits you very well this year.

Relationship

For those who are attached or married, be careful of infidelity this year. A moment of happiness will cause a lifetime of regret. Be disciplined. This year, you will have enough challenges in many aspects of your life. You will need great support from those you love dearly. Do not let them down. For those who are single, you may have a hard time holding on to a stable relationship.

Health

You tend to fall sick easily this year, especially digestive problems, flu and colds. You are also more accident prone than usual. If you have elders at home, be wary of their health and safety too. For those who are elderly and born in the year of the horse, be careful of your spouse’s health and safety as well.

People

There are people trying to cheat you this year. Do not trust others easily. Not only are they looking to cheat you in a monetary sense, they also will try to steal your opportunities. You can still be nice and yet hold a very strong conviction of not sharing sensitive and confidential information.

Action

Carry a jade Pixiu with you. Place a Hematite in your office or room. Place a Prosperity Garden and Vanadinite in your wealth position.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

GOAT

General

This is a fantastic year for those who are born in the year of the Goat. This is the time to implement your plans and to reap the fruits of labor that you have sowed. You will get the support and assistance from the relevant people easily. Though your luck is generally extremely good this year, remember to stay humble and always have contingency plans because there are many sudden crises too. Do not let arrogance get in your way. There are signs of legal problems this year too. Hence, avoid any illegal activities. Though you will be able to cope with the obstacles that arise this year, do not attempt to push your luck. Do tread with caution too.

Career

Your career luck is very good. This is a good time to shine at work. You will get support from your authority figures such as your boss or the management. If you are in business, you will get the support of your clients and your business will do very well this year. Remember that while you prosper, always make contingency plans and expand conservatively. This year, there tends to be sudden incidents that may cause problems. You do not want to be caught off guard by it.
Wealth

This is a good year in terms of wealth. If you are investing, choose something that will grow steadily. If you are in business, allow your business to grow gradually. Do not rush into things. How good you are at conserving your wealth also depends on how well you are able to avoid legal situations.

Relationship

There might be more quarrels or disputes between those who are already in relationships, as there will more frustration this year due to stress. Be more patient and it is more important to communicate. It is much more difficult than in previous years for those who are single to find the right partner. For those who are single there will be more concern about the stress caused by other aspects of life.

Health

Be careful of illnesses that strike suddenly, for example, heart attacks and strokes. You are more accident prone than usual. Do not engage in any high-risk activities. This year, it is important to follow traffic rules carefully and not to exchange conveniences with regrets. If you are driving, ensure that you have adequate rest.

People

There are more betrayals or back-stabbings this year. Some people may be jealous of your success and decide to make life difficult for you. Do be aware of this and remain humble and polite.

Action

Put a Hematite in your office or room area. Carry a jade Pixiu with you or a protection bag. If you are driving, you might consider having a Chan Chu Wealth Toad in your car.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

MONKEY

General

This year is a good for those born in the year of the Monkey in terms of concentration and learning. You can get this chance to take up courses, pick up new skills, and get involved in research or strategy planning. Take advantage while your focus and concentration is running high. This year, there are many people who tend to speak ill of you, finger point behind your back or gossip about you. There tends to be more office politics revolving around you or people will try to get you into trouble. Avoid gossip corners at all cost. Of course, do not be the source of any gossip. What goes around will come around. Try to focus on what you are doing rather than focusing on what others are talking about you. Also, be diligent in your work and watch your back.

Career

This is a good year for career because you pick up information very quickly and are able to react to situations. However, office politics is very severe this year. There are people who will try to find your mistakes. They may speak ill of your, backstab you, finger point at you or try to get you into trouble. Shift your focus from others to what you have to do. Give your best shot and you will be able to reap the best out of this year.

Wealth

Average. It is a year that you can focus on conserving your wealth rather than growing it extensively. This year, it is important for you to be careful in terms of investment, lending money to others or being other people’s guarantor as there is a high chance that you might get cheated. Try not to let greed lead you into losing more than you make.

Relationship

This year is an average year for those who are in relationships. Remember not to bring rumors or gossip back home. This will disrupt the harmonious atmosphere in the family. For those who are single, the chances of getting into a relationship are rather slim. Some misunderstandings might create embarrassment for those whom you are interested with. If you like someone, it is important for you to be communicate clearly to the person involved rather than letting the person get the news from the grapevine. Do not share sensitive topics with others or else they will become great gossip topics.

Health

There is instability in the area of health. You might have insomnia, headaches and colds. You are also more accident prone than usual. Please take good care of your health and safety. Do have adequate rest and do not let people’s opinion affect your emotions.

People

Bad. There are many people who would finger point at you, speak ill of you or try to get you into trouble. Avoid gossip at all cost, and keep your communication clear. Avoid making unnecessary comments. Pay more attention to yourself and the things that you need to do. Keep your emotions in check.

Action

Put a Paua Shell and Lepidolite near you. Carry a jade Pixiu around. Do not place a golden rooster unless with professional guidance.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

ROOSTER

General

This year, you are especially popular and there will be much socializing to do this year. Everybody wants to be your friend. Everybody wants to be part of your projects. Everybody wants to be associated with you one way or another. This is a great time to build rapport, to meet new people and to be involved in teamwork. If you are in sales or business, this is a perfect time to increase your client base or to build your contacts. During this great time, there is one lurking potential danger that might cause a downfall in your good luck. It is that there are also signs of vices such as gambling, drinking, smoking etc. Do not engage in a moment’s pleasure that might cause you a lifetime’s regret. This year, there is also much gossip and rumors revolving around you. Do not participate in it. Always be responsible for your words and actions. Do not push your luck and get involved in illegal activities. Also do not get involved with people that you should not be around with.

Career

This is a good year in terms of career. You are be welcomed by your peers, vendors and clients. It is a great time to build rapport, to increase you client base and to participate in teamwork. Most of the time you will realize that your popularity is so strong that colleagues or your peers will volunteer to do the work for you. There will also be more entertaining this year. It is important not to indulge too much in it. Always uphold your professionalism and utilize your popularity in a positive way. There is a high chance that there are some office rumors about you flying around. Do not get involved in any “indecent proposals”.

Wealth

Your wealth luck is good this year. There is a good chance that you will be able to increase your savings this year. However, there are a few possibilities to foil you plans. One is that there is a high tendency that you might overspend on entertainment and socializing. Another is also not to get involved with illegal activities or people that you should not be with or else you might need to spend a huge amount to buy yourself out of trouble.

Relationship

For those in relationships, there is a high tendency that there will be a third party or the relationships may be hurt by rumors and gossip. It is important to be faithful, honest and maintain clear communication with your spouse or partner. If any misunderstandings arise, try to clear the air soon. Do not take your spouse or partner for granted. For those who are single, this is a great time for you to get out there and meet new people. There is a high chance that you will meet that special someone.

Health

Do not overindulge in drinking, overeating and staying up late. Do not drink and drive. Remember that maintaining a healthy lifestyle will prolong your popularity and good luck. If you have elders at home, take care of their health and safety.

People

People will like to gossip and spread rumors about you because you are the hot topic of the town. There is a price to pay for being famous. You are responsible to keep your image and watch yourself closely. Even if you do not, many curious pairs of eyes and ears will not stop prying into your matters.

Action

Place a Hematite, Pagoda, prosperity garden and Amber in your office or room.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

DOG

General

There is both good and bad news for those born in the year of the Dog. The bad news is that there is much instability this year. Your plans may seem to be smooth sailing but will suddenly hit a rock. You tend to be accident-prone this year and may have cuts and bruises. There are also signs of surgery. The good news is that you are given a special waiver card this year to wave off your troubles. In another words, no matter what crisis, challenges or obstacles you face this year, it will turn out well. The only thing you must remember is to keep your cool in the face of trouble. The solution will come to you before you know it. If you have elders at home, do take note of their health and safety.

Career

This is an average year in terms of career. The only concern is that you always need to make contingency plans for whatever you are doing. The reason is that the challenges usually will strike fast and when least expected. Though the problems will resolve themselves, do keep your cool in the meantime so as not to aggravate it.

Wealth

This is an unstable year for wealth. Sometimes you may find that you are earning a lot, but you may also realize that you have spent more than you should. It is important to watch your expenses.

Relationship

If you are attached or married, your relationship is stable. If you are single, there is still a chance for you to meet someone especially in the early part of the year. If there are some suitable candidates, do consider seriously whether you will like it to develop into a relationship. Do not take too long to think because the opportunity will not wait for anyone.

Health

You are accident-prone this year. You tend to have cuts and there are signs of bleeding. There are also signs that you might go through surgery. Please be extra careful in terms of your safety, especially if you are handling sharp objects or operating heavy machinery. If you have elders at home, please take extra care of their health and safety.

People

You do not need to pay much attention to this area in this year.

Action

Put a metallic gourd in your health sector. Put a metallic Pagoda in your wealth area. Carry the jade Pixiu with you.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

PIG

General

For those who are born in the year of the Pig, though you have moved away from the unstable year of 2007, this year is not going to be easy for you too. Your health will be one of your top concerns this year. You are more prone to falling ill. It is more important to conserve your energy. Though you may have very outstanding performances in your career, you need to be very selective in who your allies are because there tends to be more power struggles this year. You will find that there are not many people who can help you. It is important to keep positive thoughts and surround yourself with positive people.

Career

On the career front, there are many power struggles. Office politics and unhealthy competition does not help matters. You need to be careful in who you choose to be your allies and also be careful of not getting involved in unnecessary matters. You will need to put your foot down where necessary. Do not let others push you into a corner. This is the time that you need to revise and implement your political skills. Focus your energy on doing your work well and you will find that you are able to produce excellent results. If you are in business, you will be able to stabilize your business this year. However, do not act aggressively. Go slow and steady and you will be able to achieve more in the long run.

Wealth

Money matters could be quite tight this year. Avoid investments.

Relationship

If you are in a relationship, you will have a loving year. You will get the support from your spouse or partner through these unstable days. If you are single, you will have a high chance of finding the love of your life this year.

Health

Not good. You will be more prone to fall ill because your immune system is especially low this year. Due to a lack of rest and spreading yourself too thin, you will increase your risk of being accident-prone. Please pay extra attention to your health in terms of having a healthy diet, keep your stress levels in check and do exercises regularly.
People

People could be quite nasty to you this year. You need to focus on what you want to accomplish and keep your eyes focused on your goals. Do not get distracted by gossip and power struggles. Remember to be calm and adopt your diplomatic skills.

Action

Place a Metal Pagoda in your wealth position. Carry a jade Pixiu. Place a Scepter near you.
You could contact us for more advise if you require any advice on which items to purchase to enhance your fortune in areas such as wealth, health, relationships and career and to lessen your difficulties.

burgled... bad mood... backed to a corner...

2007-12-07T00:02:00.001+08:00

as some of you had already known, my humble abode was burgled on monday... while they took away from computer and camera stuff, the burglars also took away that "safe" feeling within your own home...

in addition to the stolen PC, they also took away my cell phone... all my contacts were on that... i eventually got a replacement sim card... but all the previous contacts are gone... bummer....

so inevitably my mood is bad these few days... it is also as sign... that a new beginning i must sought... if only things were that easy...

i guess it is also a changing of times... for me personally... bad stuffs are happening before the new year... making me wonder what 2008 will bring... more bad luck?? backing me into a corner?? even though i wanna try to break free??

so could the coming new year robbed me of what i want to accomplish?? or is it a signal of really OUT WITH THE OLD and IN WITH THE NEW??

more sleepness nights...

打錯了 - wrong number

2007-11-22T18:02:00.001+08:00

today i received a phone call from again, the dreaded fake calls... the person started off with the usual line...

me :       hello...
fake:      你好。你會講華語嗎？(hello, can you speak mandarin)
me:         i'm sorry... i don't understand...
fake:       你會講華語嗎？(can you speak mandarin)
me:         i'm sorry... i really don't understand... what are you talking about??
....
after a while, the lady said this...

fake:      OK, sorry. Nevermind. (in english... no translation needed)

-the end-

then the office was saying how there is some scheme going on in chinese medical halls.. these people will wait in front and if they see you going in to one of these chinese practitioner, their act will kick in... they will start a conversation in your presence...

the content involve... how someone is sick... how they are looking for this miracle person who can cure illness... etc... and finally if you are sucked into it, they will somehow get you to give them lots of money... this poor woman apparently gave them 100k before she knew what was going on...

anyway, here is a song to lighten the mood... enjoy's faye wong's 打錯了, even though i don't think these people dialed the wrong number...

durian update no. 4...

2007-11-18T20:41:00.001+08:00

it has been a while i updated you guys on my durians...

this was taken at two weeks ago... the durians are like little kids... my goodness, a few days and they grow so big... as they grow bigger, the branches the support them are being stressed to the limit...

this set was taken today... just two weeks and it is looking more and more like it is going to fall from the branch onto the ground... even my neighbor commented how big is has become... and the thing is there seems to be buds waiting to flower... i'll update you on those...

durian is a funny fruit... it is so called the king of the fruits, yet is an acquired taste... you either love it or don't...

the reason i don't eat it is not because i don't like it... i am indifferent but the thought of having to be in an enclosed office space with people who may not have eaten durians... if you had eaten durians on or before, then chances are that your breath or even flatulence could also smell durian... then there will be the "talk"... of people within your office space...

at the same time, durians are heaty fruits... and according to chinese health teachings, the male body is basically made up of heat-elements and would be overly heated if you take more heaty products... like durians...

so that is why i stayed away from it.... plus it is full of sugar and carbs... easily expunging all those hard work at the gym.. hehehe...

anyway... i'll keep you posted for further developments on the durian saga...

casual fridays...

2007-11-15T20:22:00.001+08:00

OK... i am relying on the translation thingy too much... but hey.... it is fun... i have decided to include the chinese and japanese translation...

yeah... another friday is upon us... and i have decided to self declare a casual friday... truth is, my boss is on travelling, so i decided to casual-it-up at work...
嗯...另外週五是我們...我已決定自行申報隨便週五...事實是，我的老闆是在交通上，所以，我決定把休閒，它的後續工作...
うん…金曜日には、私たちに別の...と私は自己を宣言することを決めカジュアルフライデー...真実は、私の上司は走行ので、カジュアルにすることを決定した職場の...

side note: TM is again making some upgrading... it is affecting my line, and i am not sure this post will be successful... hopefully it will and hopefully that so-called repair/upgrade will be done soon... my speed has dropped dramatically...
附註： TM是再次作出了一些升級...這是影響我的路線，我不知道這個職位將會取得圓滿成功...我希望這能說，這個所謂的修復/升級工作將很快...我的速度卻急劇下降...
注記： tmは、いくつかのアップグレードを再び...マイラインに影響を与えることは、私はわからないが、この投稿が成功すれば...うまくいけば、それは期待して、いわゆる修理/すぐにアップグレードが行われる...私の速度が大幅に下落し...

back to casual fridays... in addition to t.g.i.f, i suppose casual friday is another way to boost staff morality (not that t.g.i.f. is concocted by employers to boost staff spirits)... OK.. i am referring to people who work in places where they are required to wear the shirt/pants combo day in and day out... so casual fridays do not apply to those whose employment allows for them to wear whatever they like... hehhee...
回到休閒星期五...除了tgif ，我隨便週五是另一種方式，以提高工作人員的道德（這並不是說tgif是炮製的，由雇主，以增強工作人員的烈酒） … …好..我所指的人，工作的地方，他們必須穿上襯衫/褲組合式每天都要...所以休閒星期五，並不適用於那些就業，讓他們穿什麼，他們喜歡... hehhee ...
カジュアル金曜日に戻る...金曜の夜に加えて、カジュアルフライデーは、たぶん、別の方法を高める道徳のスタッフ（経営者をでっち上げられたわけではないが金曜の夜のスタッフを高めるスピリッツ） ...分かった..私は働く人たちに言及している場所では、シャツを着るのに必要な/コンボズボン明けても暮れて...カジュアル適用されませんので金曜日の雇用者により、かれらのために何を着るかのように... hehhee ...

i guess, for the male population of workers, there won't be much choices aside from maybe wearing a non-casual shirt, short sleeve tees or long-sleeve tees, you pretty much can't deviate too much... plus, it would probably be a bit funny to wear those ultra-baggy shorts or pants to work... hip hop... er... hahhaa... or maybe you can... and start rapping and break dancing at your work place (please, i am not referring to people who actually work in a dance club.. lol)
我猜想，為男性人口的工人，將不會有很多的選擇，除此之外，也許身穿非臨時工上衣，短袖發球台，或長短袖發球台，你漂亮得多，不能偏離太多...再加上，它大概會有點好笑穿那些超寬鬆短褲或長褲，以工作… …嘻哈...呃... hahhaa ...也許你可以...並開始說唱，並打破跳舞，在你的工作地點（請，我不是指的人，其實工作中的舞蹈俱樂部.. lol ）
多分、男性の人口は、労働者のために、ありません。多くの選択肢かもしれないとは別に、非カジュアルシャツを着て、短い袖や長袖ティーティーは、かなり逸脱し過ぎることはできません...プラス、それがきっとちょっと変な人超を着るだぶだぶのズボンやショーツに仕事...ヒップホップ... er ... hahhaa ...たりすることができかもしれない...ハンマリングブレイクダンスを開始すると、あなたの仕事の場所（ご、私は言及しません。実際に仕事をする人はダンスクラブ..ロル川）

for the ladies, there are more choices... they can get away with a tee plus a jacket on normal days... i suppose it would be inappropriate to wear only a tube top or really skimpy spaggetti top... if so, i guess the two piece bikini is really out... (bummer... )... ahhaha.. hang on... then what is casual fridays to them??
為各位來賓，有更多的選擇...他們可以擺脫與發球加一件外套在一般的日子...我想，這將是不恰當的磨損，只有管頂部或真的輕薄spaggetti頂部...如果是的話，我猜想兩件式比基尼是真的出... （ bummer. .. ） … … ahhaha ..杭等等… …那麼，什麼是休閒星期五給他們？？
婦人のためにはより多くの選択肢を...逃げることができて、上着を通常のティープラス日...だろうと思います不適切なチューブトップを着るだけで本当にや露出度の高いspaggettiトップ...もしそうなら、多分2つの作品は本当にビキニアウト... （ bummer. .. ） ... ahhaha ..つかまって...それからカジュアル金曜日には、どのようなのでしょうか？か？

anyway... unless our job is to cosplay, we probably would all stick to our ties/shirts/pants/skirts/jackets/etc... as boring as that sound, it is therefore kind of refreshing to look forward to friday when you are allowed to wear your streets into work... so basically, you go to work and then to a social gathering after work without having to change out of your work clothes...
反正...除非我們的工作就是在cosplay活動，我們可能都堅持我們聯繫/襯衫/褲/裙/外套/等...作為沉悶，因為這聲音，因此，這是種令人耳目一新的期待週五的時候，你可以穿你的街道到工作… …因此，基本上，你去工作，然後向社會收集工作後，不必更改出你的工作衣服...
とにかく...コスプレしない限り、私たちの仕事は、私たちのすべてを堅持するだろう私たちのきずな/シャツ/パンツ/スカート/ジャケットの/ etc ...退屈して音としてとして、それはこの種のさわやかな金曜日のを楽しみにしたときに着用が認められている通りに仕事をして...だから基本的には、あなたに仕事に行って、その後仕事の後に懇親会を変更することなく、お客様の作業服...

so happy casual friday... enjoy... see you on a weekday...
太高興散週五...享受...看到你上週日...
とてもうれしいカジュアルフライデー...楽しむ...平日を参照してください...

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I, Complicated... a poem...

2007-11-11T21:35:00.001+08:00

"the following is a poem that i wrote... hopefully it is not amateurish..."

I am silent because I am reflecting
I am quiet because I am contemplating
I am distant because I am confused
I am distracted because I am unsure

I was happy because I thought I had
I was contended because I figured I could
I was giddy because I saw my wants
I was elated because I nearly reached

I became tired because I tried
I became bored because I bothered
I became irritated because I iterated
I became indifferent because I deferred

I thought to express but decided not
I thought to repress but easy not
I thought to digress but forever not
I thought to progress but simple not

I confided and found comfort
I recollected and found nostalgia
I braved and found courage
I relaxed and found hope

I decided so I need to execute
I searched so I need to find
I found so I need to submit
I submitted so I need to wait

I scribed and expressed my frustrations
I jotted and shared my feelings
I surmised and wrote it all
I end with a grateful heart

OMG... a jailbroken iPOD TOUCH is so fun...

2007-11-04T21:55:00.001+08:00

OK... that settles it... i want this for christmas... hahahaha :)

i have been eyeing the iPOD TOUCH for a while... and i found out that with the broken TOUCH... you can actually instal lots of applications on it... including a version of IM which will allow you to message with friends and contacts with wifi... then there are other great apps in addition to the fact that it is an iPOD...

i have seen the thing in real life... it is tiny... much thinner than the 5.5G iPOD 30G...

so i must have it....

PLEASE DONATE TO "HELP RAY GET AN iPOD TOUCH FUND"... any amount donated gets me closer to that iPOD TOUCH... nah... just kidding... i will have to rely on my usual way.... buy toto (do'h... no luck there...)

the 31 highlights of my year... a countdown to 32... (part 1)...

2007-11-01T21:11:00.001+08:00

no... this is not a reminder that yours truly will be celebrating his 2nd anniversary into his 30s (yikes!!!) as 2008 rolls by... or to get gifts/presents... (please send all gifts/presents to the address below... hang on... hahaha... just kidding la...)

i thought i'd take a page out of my own advice on seizing the day... carpe diem... and sort of like make a list of my top 31 things/memories/places that highlighted my year thus far... i will begin with 10 memorable places that i went to this year...

it took a bit out of my savings... heck... i am flat broke now... but what it did was satisfied my curiousity and my incessant need to travel... i fear being "out of touch" and thus make it a point to travel... to keep afresh of what's out there... the year has been quite good so far for me, as i travelled to a few places i never thought i could go...

taiwan in january 07

this was a first for me... it was short - 4 days as i was not exactly sure how the place would be...

when i left, i kinda thought it was far too soon...

hong kong, january 07

it was a stopover from taiwan... i celebrated no. 31 in hong kong this year, as was my no. 30... so basically it was memorable...

kyoto, japan... april 07

actually, my japan trip was a confluence of coincidences and good timing... i was able to source a cheap ticket to get there and got around with friends on a back packing tour... it was cheaper than if i joined a tour...

kyoto was my official first stop... via shinkansen (bullet train)... very olden city feel... but it was nice to experience old japan in a way... a lot of walking...

osaka, japan... april 07

osaka was my second stop... it is japan's second largest city... took a whole day to just quickly go through some of the top spots... i didn't even have time to get round to the main shopping district until after i went to tokyo... but generally speaking, osaka has a different feel than to tokyo...

tokyo, japan... may 07

tokyo was an experience... it is so big... and so many things to see and do... i was able to only scratched the surface... i will go back...

tokyo disneyworld... may 07

disney was another experience... long queues due to the holidays... i suspect it is always as crowded... a good place for couples... and kids...

hiroshima, japan... may 07

hiroshima was a somber experience... i wasn't ready for the eeriness that it brought... the whole place was rebuilt after the a-bomb incident... a clear reminder of man's destructiveness...

miyajima, japan... may 07

miyajima is listed as one of the three most scenic spot in japan... it was a different feel after hiroshima... lots of deers... and its local delicacy... oysters... yum... hahhaa...

perth, australia... june 07

i lived there for a number of years and did not get to travel down south... this time round, i was able to make that trip... pretty much what i was expecting... hehhee... but it was an experience... a good trip because of getting reacquainted with a friend...

penang, malaysia... october 07

this is probably the furthest i'd been in malaysia... i have never been to penang's mainland... only its airport eons ago... this time round, i managed to sneak a break to the island state for a raya getaway... had it not been the flu and my passivity... i would have probably enjoyed it more...

OK then... these are 10 highlights of places that i've been during 2007... these trips were memorable because of the different company... like i said before, "a trip is only as fun as your company"...

stay tuned for my next highlights... i hope all the highlights will add up to 31... i will go now and select stuff for my next post...

part 2 coming soon...

online vs. reality...

2007-10-31T21:00:00.001+08:00

i got into a discussion with several friends about how it seems, "online" most people were able to let loose compared to if they were in real life...

most of us play a character in the real world... sometimes it is forced onto us, the characters... sometimes it is because it is our nature... but online, a lot of us are pretty much different from our real-life version...

so... the other day i wrote something on facebook...

"the year 2008 draws near… it is a time to take stock of what has so far been accomplished in 2007 and probably plan ahead to 2008…

don’t dwell on the bads of this year… focus on the good that came out of this year… if they can be continued into the new year, then please… if not, then just enjoy them…

the new year hopefully will bring with it the many new hopes and aspirations… it is better to have hopes and aspirations than to go through life aimless…

GOSH man… i sounded like some horrorscope predictions for 2008… i think the new year is so near that i am beginning to feel a bit panicky… maybe i need to take my own advice and stop worrying…"

a friend commented she didn't think of me as a reflective person... and perhaps that is because in real life, i might be that boring and quiet as hell person and act goofy and all... but online, i can express my thoughts better (after many edits)... and sound a bit more intelligent that i really am... (due to the many edits.. hahaha...)

then another friend commented that i could take a comment in passing and write it into a blog... ehmm... actually it was just something i thought was valid and made for good blogging, so i turned a simple comment into a whole blog... tying in different things of course for effect...

again... writing a blog is a creative outlet... maybe a magnification of certain aspect of my personality that in the real world, may not be that visible... but then again, maybe it is because of my passive personality that i chose to have this as an outlet for my talents...

SO IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE LOOKING TO HIRE SOMEONE WHO CAN WRITE AND HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR, PLEASE LOOK HERE!!!!

tien pien ngu... nostalgia...

2007-10-27T19:40:00.001+08:00

i have posted on this a while back... but seeing as i went there again for dinner, i thought i take some photos and post it...

it rained today, so i was in the mood for something warm... what better than a warm bowl of freshly cooked tien pien ngu...

the shop has been there for a long time... and as far as i can remember, their's is probably the best taste of nostalgia... maybe someone else can cook up a better tien pien ngu, but i think a lot of people who tasted their tien pien ngu would reminisce about it once in a while...

it has since increased in price.. and there used to be some cuttle fish in it... the old taukey still remained but the waitress i suppose are from neighboring indonesia.... though they speak a fluent tongue of foochow you could have sworn that she is from foochow province... hehehe...

anyway... the krim soda... another local favorite... a match... perfect for a rainy day and an unheavy meal...

p/s this shop does not serve hand made coffee or tea... only canned and bottled stuff...

durians... update 3...

2007-10-25T10:12:00.001+08:00

the durians have grown... i don't know how long they need to be up there... maybe when they drop, then they will be edible...

they sure have grown... so much bigger... some are already stressing the tiny branches that hold them...

pity i don't eat them... hahaha...

er... my chinese is half bucket water...

2007-10-24T21:22:00.001+08:00

OK... so i was chatting with my friend after he posted a blog in chinese... i told him that i understand some of it and don't the other bits of it... the actual truth is i didn't really try to read it all... because i was educated in non-chinese, my ability to read and write chinese is basically self-learnt...

he and i, in terms of our medium of education should be the same... but he has been more productive in embracing the chinese language while i have deviated to try to master a language where i had to start from scratch...

our conversation turned to my english... so i have a good enough command of the language... not brilliant, but i can converse and write well... proficient...

truth be told, i got good in english after i figured out that i would not be good in other subjects, therefore i made it a point back then to excel in this language... however, i found that i was always playing second fiddle to someone else... in a way it was quite disappointing to know that what i thought i was good at, i wasn't the best in it...

then there is chinese... i am proud to call myself a chinese person... of chinese heritage... therefore i have since embraced my roots and try to familiarize myself with the language... it is far too complicated... i only know a little of the surface... true, i can converse well enough in it, but i fear being exposed as not proficient enough in it...

if i were to converse with people who have been educated from young in good chinese, then i would fall way way behind... they would probably think i am some under-developed person with a speech impediment... my friend reminded me that if someone sort of like made some nasty remarks about me in complicated chinese, i probably would not know what was said or meant...

back to his chinese-language blog... i am envious... of his chinese writing skills... that ship has sailed... for me to completely master the language... or has it... maybe i am too lazy...

even as i write this, i feel that my english is half-assed...

some firsts...

2007-10-17T21:35:00.001+08:00

this little mini break i took was kinda like a firsts of many for me... i am basically a passive and mundane person so some of the stuff i tried or discovered during this road trip opened up a little of my closed world...

golf... something that i quite enjoyed in my first try... i wanted to take this sports up for a very long time, but did not make an effort to try... but after some swinging tips from my friend, that two body aching hours were kinda fun...

the pavillion in kl... this is a big shopping mall only opened recently... still some renovations going on and there are numerous brand names here... countless... i only just went in and out fairly quickly because i was heading towards another place that day... my first time there @ pavillion...

the shitzu named elmo... or at least i think that is his name... my friend's pet... i kinda am in love with it now... hahaha... though i would not want to take care of one... he kinda likes me... keeps licking my leg... hehehe... and hyper-active... but when i was sitting on the floor one night helping solve a computer issue, he kinda rested his little head on my lap... my friend said he must have liked me... so... yea... my first time i am so so in love with a dog seeing as i am quite scared of them...

my first time in penang... on the urging of a friend, i went there... an island state as i previously mentioned in the photo album... but nevertheless it was a fun trip... penang holds a treasure trove of the old and the new... many colonial architectures are kept (i wish i took more photos)... and blend in with malls and of course, starbucks (you can't get away from them)... i think it was a fun trip because of the company... afterall, the trip is only as fun as your company...

a durian update...

2007-10-04T09:47:00.001+08:00

since the last post on my durians, they have grown slightly...

i don't really know how long does it take for durians to... er... mature???

by the looks of it... we should have at least ten or so to enjoy... not enough for a harvest or to sell.... well.... enough for ourselves...

i wish to take MC... 很想生病。。。

2007-09-28T10:12:00.001+08:00

i have had this bug for like a while now... feels like i am falling sick, but technically i am not sick enough for a MC... hehehe...

so far, i have been coughing and having a runny nose for a while... i felt that i had a fever...

but unfortunately, i don't...

i do however feel my body being weak... and aches... each morning, that headache/hangover feeling (i don't drink) does not go away... and my balance feels a bit off...

for the cough, i take this... this is supposedly good... and yummy... hehehe... no... i am not addicted to this la...

oh well... if i am falling sick, then i need the virus to attack quickly... the gestation period is far too long... i'm bored waiting to fall sick...

too many credit cards...

2007-09-27T20:32:00.001+08:00

ok... i'm guilty... of owning too many credit cards...

i actually just use two of them... the rest was added to my "collection" because the agents were all over town to recruit new card members...

i found foreign banks such as hsbc, ocbc and citibank are kinder when they dish out the card limits... local banks are conservative...

but... i have a bone to pick with standard chartered... i was rejected several times even though i have already been approved cards from citibank and hsbc... and ocbc and uob... why are you rejecting me???

on a side note... local bank cards tend to be bad at their service... i recently had the displeasure in cancelling my ambank card... i cancelled it last year and this year they still said i had not cancel the card... that was finally sorted out after i called kl... (my own expense)...

my colleague ask for maybank to cancel her waiver... the bank cancel her card instead... IMPROVE your english...

oh well... that is the price to pay.... for one too many cards...

mid autumn festival... a bad dinner...

2007-09-25T21:59:00.001+08:00

finally, the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar... mid autumn festival... i will dig up its history.... eating moon cake is a remembrance ritual, not the festival itself...

anyway, me and my folks figured we'll go out for dinner instead of eating in.... our choice...

this shop used to be at the very end of lanang road... now it moved to near the new bridge link between sibu and the road to sarikei...

today being a festival... the place was crowded... it has an airconditioned room and an open space area... we ate at the open space area...

it took a while before our food was ordered.. then when it came... disappointment... here is the review of the food...

medicinal chicken... 樂柴雜

i was anticipating this to be the best dish there... a disappointment... the meat, dryer than sahara desert... the texture, tougher than leather... while it has some medicine taste, the chicken was not up to par...

house tofu

nine pieces in total... where is the meat sauce... feel very starchy and the sauce is er... feels like oyster sauce... and some other mix... another failure..

mixed vegetables

this one... sigh... smallish... and not much choice in vegetables... salty, the taste... not much to say... fail...

fish lung soup...

served really late... and taste funny... like sea cucumber soup... not really big pieces of fish lung... and smallish portion for three people... again... fail...

~~~~~

so my moon cake dinner... lousy.... my mom said next time... we cook at home...

flowers are now fruits...

2007-09-23T15:20:00.001+08:00

a while back, i posted about the durian tree in my backyard... it flowered and we wondered if fruits would come from it... and sure enough... there are lots on the tree now...

they look smallish.. hard to imagine they would become the durian that we all know...

writing this post makes me feel like i am writing for some agricultural magazine.. hahaha... remember... if you want your durian to grow well... you must......... hang on.... i dunno nuts about growing durians... i don't even eat it.. hahaha...

more updates as they grow...

a call from an investment company???

2007-09-20T10:07:00.001+08:00

the newspapers and other media outlets have been reporting on how there has been an increase in fraud conducted over the telephone by people who purported to be from investment firms based overseas intending to invest domestically...

the truth is far from it... i don't think they are sitting in their comfy office in hong kong (that is their claim) to make that call to us here in malaysia... to do market research... i suspect they are here in town and use this to find their victim...

basically, if they go through the list in here, they will definitely get some suckers who are not so capable of filtering through the charade...

anyway, when i received that call... their first words are (in mandarin)..."can you speak mandarin?"... then if you answer, they will begin their pitch.. this lady that i was talking to... i don't know what their gimmicks are... but apparently they are doing a market research on some product to be launched here in town at some shop lots... so their aim was to get people to go there and see...

then she began to ask my name... my mind was searching for a name... and came up with wang yi... i was going to say i am wang chuang yi (the pop star, hahahah)... but decided to be wang yi instead... then she asked how old i was... i think my voice (which i make to sound youngish) made her think i am in my 20s and in college... suits me find... so she said... when launch comes... ask me and my parents to go... i say OK.. ahhaha

well... so far she has not ask for money... but gave me a reference... i don't know what that reference is... and i didn't bother to copy it down.... i don't know their gimmick.... so i don't know what this will lead to...

anyway.... just beware of this....

for a light moment...

2007-09-19T17:19:00.001+08:00

ROMANCE MATHEMATICS

Smart man + smart woman = romance
Smart man + dumb woman = affair
Dumb man + smart woman = marriage
Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy
______________________________
OFFICE ARITHMETIC

Smart boss + smart employee = profit
Smart boss + dumb employee = production
Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion
Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime
_____________________________
SHOPPING MATH

A man will pay $20 for a $10 item he needs.
A woman will pay $10 for a $20 item that she doesn't need.
_____________________________
GENERAL EQUATIONS & STATISTICS

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
_____________________________
HAPPINESS

To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.
To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.
______________________________
LONGEVITY

Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.
______________________________
PROPENSITY TO CHANGE

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does.
_____________________________
DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE

A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
_____________________________
HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

SEND THIS TO A SMART WOMAN WHO NEEDS A LAUGH AND TO THE SMART GUYS YOU KNOW CAN HANDLE IT

nostalgia...

2007-09-16T00:21:00.001+08:00

my friend sent me this picture...

a fun day at the beach.... this was in new zealand... when i was there for a whole of two months studying... before i defected to ozzieland.. hahaa...

so young.. so full of hopes... not knowing the cruel cruel world... how life has its way screwing you over... oppss... what the heck am i on about??? hahaa....

no... not much bad memories there... all good... i really missed those days...

dried blueberries... 野生籃莓...

2007-09-12T18:04:00.001+08:00

i got this pack of dried blueberries from the local premier importer, tai kiong emporium sdn. bhd...

i don't know how much the product is, but because it is going to expire on the 20th of september, i got the product at rm0.99... so basically that is how i can afford these imported products... (read: eat nearly expried goods)...

i don't think this is an organic product, but it is actually quite nice...

some more, it is halal... and from taiwan...

it looks like your typical dried sultanas/raisins...

but when you bite into it, there are lots of seeds in it...

it is actually quite sweet... after a while, it gets quite sickening... hurry if you want to get a packet to taste...